GCISD School Board Meeting - November 4, 2025 (Special Session)

001Good evening. We will call this meeting of the Great Vine Calo Board of Trustees to order on November 4th at 5:00 PM. This is our team of eight training. Dr. uh Donnie Lee will be leading us this evening. He is the uh superintendent for Wishaw Falls Independent School District and I'm going to just kick this off to you and let you get us started. >> Okay. Thank you. First of all, thanks for having me. Donnie Lieutenant Wish Falls ISD and I think I ran into a few of you at SLI or some other places that I speak at. Pardon my boy. Literally, I had allergies today. So, got some hogs. But what we're going to uh talk about today is, you know, I've been briefed a little bit about some tough decisions that y'all are

002thinking through. And so, what I'd like to start with is just a little bit of a small portion of what the WISD story is on some of the things that y'all are thinking about. And then after we go through that, we'll turn it over to you guys and y'all can go through some exercises on these exact things. Very tough decisions. So, as I mentioned before, who kind of who we are, if you don't know, there's just a brief synopsis. I won't read all these to you, but we have about 12,500 students, 644 to be exact. And we're one of these districts that's similar to you guys. We have been declining for the last 20 years. And at about the 2% rate, y'all are about one and a half, it look like, one and a half

003to 2%. Steadily declining. And so, you can see where we're at now. We were at three high school district two years ago. We're at two high schools now, three middle schools, 14 elementaryaries, and two early childhood campuses. Here's a an idea for you to look at to visualize that. That's what our enrollment looked like from 2014 till now. And so why why is that important? Why is that important to Greatvine Collville? And it is important because as much as we don't like to say it, you know, you have to have students, you have to have butts and seats in order to keep this thing going. So in some aspects it's a business right and so what does that look like from a financial impact and for us when we're losing that amount of students that's

004a 10% decrease for us and that's the impact we had on our budget just in the last time $9 million and of course if if you're losing students and here's how riffs happen. You may know this already but a riff is a reduction in force. as you're losing students, you have to reduce your staff. >> And that doesn't mean you go around and hand thing slips out to everybody. It means generally through attrition. But it has to happen. And that's how Waw Falls ISD got themselves into a riff. And quite frankly, why I got the job is we were losing students as you can see hand over fist and the faculty remained the same. In actuality, you can see in one a year it went up. And so you have to stay ahead of that.

005So if you know you're losing what a point and a half 2% of students every year, you need to stay on top of your your faculty as well. Plan that for in your budget and that's what we've been doing. You can see what our high school enrollment trends are from 66 to 20. We had 20,000 students at one time. >> I mean we have really been losing them, right? And majority of them are going to home school. We had two charters. We had three privates losing them to there as well. We don't know what 26 27 holds. Neither do you for vouchers. But you can see what that's done to our high school enrollment trends. Just a quick timeline on some things that we've done uh when we passed the bond COVID and then you

006can really see in 2021 with our Prop B that's athletics bond and then everything kind of went haywire in 2022 and that's when the bud the budget deficit happened uh and then all the rearranging things that took place all the staff that came out all the staff that came in. We really started doing a lot of restructuring at that point and had to make some really really tough decisions from that year forward. And so 2023, you can see where all that started taking place. We started closing campuses. We closed the campus my first month on the job with Shaw Falls ISD. Okay. I mean, it was really hair buildings on fire, hair on fire, smoke, red flags, the whole nine yards. Right. >> And make sure you tell them how much people hated you. >>

007They didn't like me. But here's but here's what was they didn't like it initially because you know when we closed Woodshaw Falls High School, it's I mean it's the namesake, right? And there's a mascot, you know, the coyotes, there's colors. I mean, there's the emotion tied to that. It's way harder to close a high school. We get all that. Then it's elementary. I mean, that ain't even in the hemisphere. Elementary, you know, you're kind of emotional to it, but nobody's going to remember that five or six years. Remember the high schools? Remember the high schools? Well, we'll get to all that. >> All right. So, how do you balance? How do you balance the budget? So, and this is something y'all going to have to be thinking about as well. I looked at y'all's uh

008budget. Pulled it up. Did did a little digging. They're losing some money as well, right? They're going to be and and if y'all don't stay ahead of that, and Brad knows this, you're going to be in a in a big budget deficit year over year that's only going to grow year over year, right? So, how do we do that? Well, here's here's here's only two ways that you're going to ensure that you're going to save money in this situation. One, you are going to reduce staff because that's where 85% of our revenue comes. 85% of our budget is on staffing. So 15% of the whole rest of our budget, $127 million is for everything else that you can think about, right? And so the rest of it is your campuses. Those are your most expensive

009operational. So you have we closed one Head Start campus right off the gate, like I said. Then we closed two elementary schools that very next year, 12 months later. Uh that was Ferris. We also closed Lamar. We transitioned some of those into Head Start campuses. And then we closed the three high schools. So that was Michelle Falls High School, Ryder and Hershey. And and then we transitioned two of those into middle schools or renovated them. Refresh is what we call it. All right. And then we opened two high schools as well. So at the same time that we were closing, we opened two. So it's very unique. We're the only ones to do it in the state. And so here's the high schools what they look like. The one on the right we still have

010not done. It's sitting abandoned because it like you're asking that building will never go anywhere. It will sit there 410,000 square ft empty because it cost $16 million to renovate but it's a pillar to the community. So even though it won't there wouldn't never be any kids in it probably again it's going to sit there and it's our police station. >> We got 12 officers so they they're putting room got a lot of women in there. >> When you say our you mean the districts the police force? Okay. >> Yeah. So we have to use it for something otherwise. What we found out and and you may as well don't know but your community looks like the longer we keep buildings abandoned and empty. We have migrants wandering and man they're starting fires. They're literally

011trying to stay warm and it's a hotel for them. And so that's more of an expense for us you know security maintenance vandalism on and on and on and on and on. I had a I show you a text from yesterday. Three kids got into Lamar people got fire extinguish it becomes an issue. So, we try to get rid of them quick and I'll get some. >> So, were you able to pass a bond to build new schools while consolidating? >> Yes. 300. It passed by 1%. >> I was about to say you guys must have been like Houdini like trying to >> It failed failed and then passed 51.49. >> Wow. >> How much was it? >> 300 million. >> Yeah. And that's what you can get one for now. >> Yeah. >> So,

012just in that era of 2020 and there's the high school. So, y'all been some of you have been up there. Beautiful. So very fortunate that we got that 1% to say yes and there they are. Right. And again, we're the only one in the in the state to close three high schools and then open up two simultaneously all while doing it while facing declining enrollment. So it's very challenging. So I'm going to keep saying this. All of these decisions that y'all are thinking through incredibly difficult. But there's no easy thing. I mean it's just like oh I want to do this. So this is what we're going to do and it's just no it's it's not just straightforward because there's it would be but emotion gets involved and that's because we're human, right? We all

013have an attachment to different things saying if you're going to close my so there's so it's not as easy as close it we're going to save money and and we're moving forward but and we'll get to this in a second as well. You're here in these seats for when things are challenging, right? Leadership is easy when everything is easy, but you're in these positions when challenges arise and your leadership's needed more than ever, right? So, one of just quick quick uh Hershey renovation. We spent all that money from the savings we usually just put right back into our schools every time. Uh we had a building that got destroyed by the wind and we were very thankful for that. um like a turbo uh I can't microverse >> microverse and we were so thankful and

014it destroyed the whole thing and we got the insurance money and then we recouped uh we put it into Hershey that >> right here's where we just closed this campus uh two months ago. It's a middle school, uh, McNeel Middle School. A, and at the same time that we're closing that that middle school, we don't always focus on, hey, look what you're losing. Hey, you're losing this middle school. You know, we focus on the truth. What are you getting? What are you getting? You're you're losing that brickandmortar building that you've seen since 1948. But what are you getting? And why are we doing that? And so we we always talk about we have a communications plan that we talk about and why are we closing that and where are we going and this is what

015we're opening up for. It's in the we this is a picture from last week. We're opening up McNeel Elementary. So McNeel Middle School is gone. We opened up Ryder Middle School, shifted those and now we're opening up McNeil Elementary which means yes we're closing another elementary here in about 6 months. All right. And so we're already we've already had a lot of those discussions with the Jefferson community and those parents and the teachers and the staff and the kids. >> Real quick, >> when you were doing all of these closings and all like was this in Did you have a plan? >> Fiveyear plan. >> So in that you're like we're going to close two here. We're going to close one here. We're going to do this. Okay. So you had it stepped out. >>

016Yes, ma'am. >> Okay. >> To to a T. We're closing this one. This one. This one. Yes, exactly that. >> This is the fifth year of the five-year plan. >> Okay, >> which would which would cue the closure of Jefferson and then then we're going to take a deep breath. I think we should be, you know, but here's the thing. If we're losing 250 students after two years, it's campus, >> Right. >> How long did it take you to come up with said fiveyear plan? >> Oh my gosh. at I would say approximately at least gosh almost my first year >> a year. >> Yeah. Because we have community advisory councils, teacher advisory councils, we have uh student groups, of course the board, we meet twice a month as a team of eight. And so,

017you know, you go through that, then you go right back to the community, the teacher advisory council, the teachers, you know. Yeah. takes a lot a lot of time because um even though you know your teachers here's the thing with with closure of the campuses 13,000 people in our school said you need to close campuses there wasn't one that we could hardly find but you know what they said >> don't close mine >> not mine >> every time don't close mine but it got to be done and who's theirs and so that's what you're going to run into and so then you those were those decision points got to come age of building capacity of the building, how operational efficiency, you know, things of that nature, growth trends, where are you growing at in your

018community and stuff like that. So, things that you all have. >> Did you rely heavily on your demographer? >> No, because they were wrong. They were so wrong about our they predicted a enrollment increase for us. >> They said we're one of the ones that are losing 250 students a year. >> Yeah. >> So, I have a question. So you said you got there and you closed one within the first month. >> So that was that's not a five-year plan. That's just what you saw. >> That one was a Head Start campus that was being operated at 25% capacity that we in the building was uh leased to own. So it's like we are just wasting money right here. And so we just resone those head start kits and got them out. It was just

019like why are we doing this? And everybody's like I don't know. Okay, we'll close >> it. So >> are you going to share with how who your predecessors were? Are you gonna get to that point? Like, how do you end up in your seat? >> Well, I I kind of blew past that, but um >> I think that's important. >> I got here because um I got my job because tough decisions weren't made. If I can be quite honest with you, you know, we're losing enrollment and instead of facing it head on, um um just let the enrollment let the faculty stay as they were. and a matter of fact increased a few faculty members especially pair of professionals and um didn't close any campuses and if you do that you're in big trouble and

020so that's what we were you know they got if you watch that board meeting from March 2022 you notice that there's aboutund and something people there most of them are teachers and they found out that they're being rifted that day have a job and they found out through a board meeting >> yeah so you know that he didn't you No problem with Right. Yeah. He didn't make it to the April board meeting. >> Oh, wow. >> Resired him, fired the CFO, the human resources, fired everybody. And uh >> Right. >> Where did you come from? >> I came from Vuna, which is right near Bmont, Southeast Texas, a superintendent there. I was superintendent out in Palestine. >> Yeah. >> So, that's just a little a brief opening of what what that looked like. So, you

021you bottom line, you have to make some tough decisions, right? You're going to have to do something, right? And then of course we had some surplus property that when I me and my team would ask questions like what what are we doing with this and and why are we hanging on to it if we if the answer was I don't know then we would put in surplus which means up for sale you know you get you know RFQ you get your architect you get your u your realtor and you start putting these properties online systematically because you can't put them all on the line at the same time you'll flood the market so that we had a plan for that but one of middle schools we closed you can see what we did with our

022community partnerships Who bought that? The Wshaw Falls Police Department did. So, it's a win-win win for us. We got 1.2 million bucks for it. And now the the police station is a center up right there in that community. Lamar's the same way. It's a low-income housing. Big win for that community. But you can see all those things, right? That was 4.7 million bucks. And that's just 4.7 million that we capitalized on that. That doesn't include the yearover costs, just maintenance. And you know how much it cost to heat and cool a high school? You don't know that, right? It's 215,000 bucks per, right? So, you still have to heat and cool them. You don't just get to li them up. You still have to maintain them and mow them and on and on and on.

023So, there that's that cost, right? So, we recoup one cost and then recoup the other one as well. So, so there's four million bucks just off those surplus properties that we had. And then y'all ask about staff. This just I'm not going to go into details on this. This is a whole another uh spill that we could talk about and I'm sure y'all have some for one, but we've really tightened up our staffing model. You know, Tasby has one, but we've tightened ours up to fit Waw Falls ISD, which means we know how many staff are on every campus based on student enrollment, every one of them. And we we we are religious about that. So, if a principal comes up to me, which they often do, and say, "Hey, Donnie, I need uh I

024got to have two repair professionals." what's got to happen? And I'll say, "Okay, right. How many how many how many students you got?" They tell me how many students. How what's your uh student teacher ratio in those classrooms? They tell me that. Say, "Well, that that that mean that ratio according to our staffing model." And we'll talk about what you going to give up. >> What are you going to give up? And then they have to start thinking, "Oh, I got to give something up." Yes, you got to give something up because 85% of our budget is staffing. And so you got 350 kids, you get one assistant principal, you get one counselor until you get to 700, don't come back. Or you can give some up. Well, they ain't like that. But because they

025have to come up with a solution to this, which will get you in big trouble, right? And that's what got many districts in trouble because if a principal comes to you and says, "I need" and you don't have something like this, it turns into subjective thought. Oh yes, you do need that. God bless you. Oh my goodness. You're overworked and underpaid. Let's get you two more pairs. So, just make sure you have something like that. I'm sure y'all do. And if you don't, we we can go into a really deep deep dive on that. We have great community partnerships that that's helped us financially as well. Those auditoriums that y'all probably seen when you're at the game, those were paid for by our community. You know, those are four million each. So, we've got really

026really wonderful community partnerships. >> Who who So, who sold that? Who who did that? >> The community partnerships. Well, so we've got >> the big piece of that was Elizabeth Joerger, who is one of our former board members. Okay. >> And she was um Joerger is a a big fine arts name in our community and she uh shared one of the uh uh foundations in the community that only focuses on fine arts. >> She had community people selling helping. >> Yep. You bet. >> Okay. We try not to say it ourselves in anything because if we say something good about your own self, if y'all do, they're going to go, "Of course you're going to say something good about a Brad, you work here." But if somebody else, your community is saying it, that's more

027realistic and believable. So, we always try to work with our community partners. We have principal for a day quite a bit where we bring in the top 40 community members, the mayor, the city council, all those people. They're principal for the day. They get to run it and see it and do it and then they go and talk. And so we do things like that a lot intentionally, >> you know, to to do this and help us with our things that we can't afford. >> So that's $11 million just last year, >> you know, like things. If we want a brand new scoreboard, we're I'm never going to my board and saying I need $800,000, which is what that scoreboard was we have. Nope. We went to United Regional Medical Center and partnered with them

028and they paid for it. >> We do it we do that with everything our football field. And so community members though are are doing the leg work. >> Doing the leg work. Yep. >> That's right. We've got a community liaison on paid staff though too. >> We cheat a little bit. >> Okay. >> Yeah. I get I go in the weeds on that too, but we for for timing purpose we'll keep going. But all this that I'm talking to you about ties into our strategic scorecard. We want to keep our arrows aligned so we're not just here there everywhere. Um Mo Casey helped us out with ours. I mean, they they do a lot of different districts, but we've really uh been put a lot of work into ours. And of course, that all ties

029into stewardship is our S's. >> Y'all familiar with their strategic score card? Y'all use it? >> Yeah, we have it. >> Okay, good. >> And of course, you you see what that is? It's just ensuring strong and transparent financial systems, systematic long range facility planning like we were talking about. >> Did they have this when you got there? >> No. uh they came in to our strategic plan my second year. So we incorporated a lot of stuff that we were doing into the strategic scorecard. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Because this is newer rather. >> Okay. You just started yours. >> Okay. Well, >> yeah. We've been doing a couple years ago. June of 23. We started ours. I see. >> And so then you can lay those things out and get really in the

030weeds on the stewardship's 4.0 for us. And then you can go 4.1 4.11 4 years. Okay. So, we really get deep down as we so that way if it ain't in our scorecard, we're not chasing around all these different things. So, we're speaking the same language. Good. Okay. Any Let's pause right there because I'm going to start getting into to y'all stuff there. Let's pause and uh any questions, comments, or concerns about what we've discussed so far. You know, I'm I'm curious because I'm it's intriguing how you guys kind of repurpose some things. Um, like you said, you turned high schools into middle schools and and middle school into an elementary school and and um I think that's that's fascinating and how you guys kind of repurpose stuff. I wish Ryder would have been gone

031my senior year knocked me out of the playoffs, but um h how like >> that that's a hard thing to articulate um especially school finance, right? There's an unbelievably complicated monster. >> Yep. >> And so to to explain that to people that really have no idea about M and the tier one, tier 2 and then INS and how those things can't be intermingled. but to come out and and be able to close schools, build new schools, renovate old schools to repurpose them, you know, to turn them, you know, once was a high school, now a middle school. I mean, that that's for lack of a better term, like that's really impressive to be able to get to that because >> we're working through, as you know, our challenging time to just to articulate the school

032finance part of it is tough enough, but then to figure out a way to go to the community and say, "Hey, we need $300 million. we need $400 million and this is the plan. Like that just >> it it's um because I could see, you know, with our aging facilities, you could see that need and to how you would reimagine what GCS would look five or 10 years down the line >> and to make that happen. There does need to be work on on buildings just it just has to happen in some way, shape or form. But >> to articulate on one side we're doing this and to come up on the other, you know what I mean? Like that's just I'd love to just learn more about >> Yeah. that plan and how that

033how that happened because that's >> we focus a lot on that's the what we focus a lot on the why and we didn't capture everybody's uh imagination until the high schools were built or almost in the process of being built. So we were strategic about bringing in the loudest people that were against it and that you're going to have those in any community and we did. Uh I mean they showed up at the hundreds in our at our board meetings and they were dressed in their alma mater seriously like from the 70s and the so they was very passionate. So we took that passion and those concerns and we listened and we had listening tours and and and so we we we we gathered these themes and then we started taking them to those places.

034We took them to Ryder. >> Then we took them to Memorial, we took them to Legacy and we did that over and over again. And I'm going to tell you what, once they that when they when we cut the ribbon to see all of those people who were once so upset at us to be the most proud to see what they have now was a really a great transformation. It really was. And so it it's hard to imagine because you're emotional about your past. You everybody is. If anyone says they're not, they're they're not being honest. you know, um, you know, you start thinking about your high school and you're going to get there's going to be an emotion tied to that. And so, you have to try to help them if if you want

035to help them see past that to why the why behind the emotion. And until you get to the why, they don't care about the what. It's just it's the truth. And >> yeah, >> what what part did your board take place in and all the listening tours and all of that process? They they would uh my borders they like to and you may know this. They like to get into the weeds >> and so um and so I don't stiff arm them. I'd bring them in, you know. So like when I go on campus visits and I'm doing my rounds, they come or two do because I want to hold, you know. Uh so yeah, they would come do listen tours. They had they formed ad hoc committees, you know, we had three board members.

036So they got in they got involved because they're the ones that are going to feel the most complaints, concerns, frustrations. Don't tear down my elementary, you know, don't that's a hub of the community. My kids walk to school. They're going to hear that. And so they were very involved in that. And so and you know, you just they got to listen. And so yeah, they were they were involved the whole step of the way. Yeah. As they should be, right? Because it's it's the board's money. against the boards. >> Wait, did you have any board members that were pulled outs? >> No, we didn't have uh we had one that was um uh it took her longer to get there because she was a Witchah Falls High School graduate. Back to emotion, right? and and

037completely understandable. But when we're going through all of these team of eights and all of these conversations together, the why outweighed the emotion of the what, you know? It's just like, we have to do this because here's the why, you know, and so yeah, absolutely. It wasn't just 70 from the get-go at all. No, it was she and Katherine McGregor. She's my president. >> Got the greatest name ever. >> Yeah. There you go. She and she would tell you that but you know it's just through constant dialogue uber transparency and understand that these these decisions are difficult. They are so great question but did you have a question as well >> Diana? >> Well I just wanted to know if if everybody was on board from the very beginning. Same thing. >> Yeah. >> When

038you did the final when you voted to close schools did you vote individually each campus or was it just here's the schools are going to close boom boom boom motion everybody? No individual campuses absolutely >> all at the same meeting. >> No, there'd be different like we would we would try to stagger that. So like all these campuses that you seen are at different points like we didn't just go uh we're going to close the marker or you know seven it may have been two and if that was the case they don't consent agenda item that because they want to discuss that item. Each of it gets its own value and importance, right? And so it's it's always discussed out. >> Dr. Lee, can you talk a little bit more about the ad hoc committees

039that your trustees formed and what their purpose was? >> Yes. So their their role in an ad hoc committee, we'd have three board members and then we would layer that with or they would they oversaw with former board members that would have some institutional knowledge and then a couple community members, a parent, maybe there was two parents, a key stakeholder or business rep u and then three faculty members. So it was a pretty good ad hoc committee. And then our the role of the ad hoc committee was to bring a recommendation to the board based on information received about each one of those campuses um you you know utilization age on and on and on parent feedback. They would speak to parents directly or receive the feedback from survey monkey or whatever you do. >>

040Okay. So it wasn't on a particular topic. It was the the topic was a campus a particular campus. >> Yeah. It would be it would be over the campuses that we were closing. Yeah. campuses. >> Yeah. So if if we clustered two, which one year we did, we had two, they would be discussing those and those decisions would center a lot around not so much are we going to close them. It it's the daggum attendance lines for us >> that are an issue, you know, and since I've been there, it is we've had to shift constantly because our growth, the little bit of growth we have is on the west side. On the east side, it's shrinking. And so we're constantly moving attendance lines. I don't know if that's unique to us, but I've been

041there four years. >> So, when you're saying that, so I just want to clarify because I want to understand what you're saying. So, how many every how many years are you changing? Every year, >> you've done so much since 22. It's mindblowing. >> So, every year somebody is going to a different school possibly. >> Every year somebody's going to a new school. We're changing them. So how how does that how does that I mean how does that go like in terms of >> so let me give you a concrete example right now you just saw McNeel for closed McNeil Middle School >> okay which is for us that's going to become McNeel Elementary all right that's going to be McNeel Elementary it's going to be a hu biggest elementary in the city it's going to

042hold 700 students so if you can visualize this McNeel Elementary we're going to close another elementary near it called Jefferson all right Where's Jefferson Hall? >> Uh 430 students or so. Most of our elementaryaries are around 400, 450. We've got two that are at 500. >> Okay. And so what what that does is when we have McNeel Elementary opening, that's on the west side. We're having to shift four elementaryaries west. >> And so Fowler, we're taking 100 from them. Crockett, we're taking 125 from them. Does that make sense? West. West were taking 125. >> But but how so like do you have angry parents every year? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Because they again we know that shifting needs to take place. Just don't shift mind. That's a that that they agree that it

043has to happen, right? They look at this amazing elementary like, "Wow, we love that." Just don't make Johnny go there next year. He's been in kindergarten his whole life. You've been there since kindergarten. You know what I mean? >> It's true. and y'all deal with that. And it's going to ruin him. He's been there. He's been there three years. >> Kindergarten one, two, you know. So, it's not the kids kids are resilient. The kids are resilient. I'm to be honest with you. I've been doing this for many, many years. The kids, they're going to be all right. They'll be all right. >> Mama and daddy, it's a little harder to get mom, you know. So, I heard that last month. We had a community advisory council, big council. That's exactly what they said. So what

044we do, we we listen to those concerns because they're they're valid and we say, "Okay, you've got some valid concerns there. Here's what we're going to do. You've been at Fowler since since kindergarten. He's going into the fifth grade, their final year. They stay there." >> So we work, you know, try to find a win-win, right? Then it gets into, well, what about his brother? >> No. And so that you see that's where it goes. And then after one year, they're fine. But is it easy? No, it's not easy at all because they're upset. They're upset. >> So you've been doing this how long again? 22. >> See at Waw Falls since 22. We we've zoned every year. My first year I was like nobody knows me. We resone. >> We kind of had up

045every year. >> We reszoneed every single elementary my first year. >> Yeah. You think they were happy? >> That's what I told them. I told them, >> right? >> But we we talked about it. They were like we Lee, it needed to happen. But from that perspective, everybody got zoned so they could I mean >> um and then we had to of course the high schools so we had we had three high schools down to two so we had to completely reszone that. >> Anyway, that that was way where high schools is where you're going to have the most issue if that's what y'all are thinking. I don't even know y'all. >> No, we're just >> that's the problem. Elementary I promise you guys if that's where y'all are thinking it will be loud at

046first but anyway that would calm down. High schools are problem. Was the committee advisory council different from the campus ad hoc committees? >> How many committees did you have with stakeholder input? >> We had the uh community advisory council, we had the teacher advisory council, we had the at the board uh ad hoc committee and then we have we have a huge military presence in which falls. So we have the MCIE military connected input and engagement team. >> Oh wow. So we had all of that and then we're constantly it ain't like we meet you once and thank you for your input. >> Sure. >> No, we have a strategic time scale get collect input meet collect input and then we meet and collect data from that meeting and send that out. Yeah. >> And

047even with all that, you had anger because >> absolutely because they'll tell you and they'll tell you that we we agree with everything you said what needs to happen. Just don't be care not to >> What's that? >> Would you have ever not done those? >> No, it needed to be done. Like when I took the job, I was like, "This is going to be some hard things that we're going to have to do, and this is going to be the plan moving in." I could I could see it. Do y'all have what it takes to get it done? y'all are the elected officials. They're come they're going to be coming to you guys, right? And so again, it's it's it's tough because, you know, people are going to be upset initially with everybody, but

048if you get through it and you get to the other side, I pro I'm here as a living example in Witchah Falls and and so a very tough community if you know a little bit about it. Very tough community to get that done in. And so, uh, you just got to be transparent, said here's why we're doing it. Again, >> let me ask you on the on the all those different committees, did you present them with this is what our plan looks like? These are the schools we're talking about, this is the school we're talking about, and then that committee discussed that school or did you go to them to create the decisions on which schools to close? You guys made the decision like this is what we're looking like we're going to have to

049close and you went to them to just get their feedback and input and come back for So you got to set parameters or to go off the rails. >> Yeah. So kind of just what you're saying. >> And was it different committees for every you know you guys have done this before you different committees every year like different sets of people for each >> in some cases like the community advisory council you're going to have your regulars that are going to be in there. Our city council people if our mayor does if some team shepherd our ad hoc committee with our board our president changes that president would come in and appoint too. So that's changed. Our teacher advisory council changes every year. So it's the it's the teacher that is elected that will give

050the most feedback and is well represented by their peers on that campus. So they speak for the whole campus and I meet with them every month after a board meeting and so then they we collect feedback from them and so that that they're not hearing things thirdand so I have my agenda we talk about it and this is always on the agenda reszoning campus closure so on so forth. So so it changes to answer your question. >> Okay. Thank you. >> What was your city involvement? You only have one city we have two. How did that dynam play out? >> So, they are a part of our community advisory council and so um and they're a part of our principal for the day. So, their role in this is just to we give them the

051information so that they can share it with the community constituents. That's generally what it is. They'll give us their feedback especially, you know, our city council, our mayor and our Shepherd Air Force community. Uh our chambers very active. So, they'll give us our feedback. recommendations what they think and then we take that and go from there. >> So I always tell them they make suggestions give us our feedback but the board makes decisions. >> Do all the teachers live there in the um live in Waw Hall? >> No. >> So teachers that don't live there are making recommendations? >> No. No. It would have to be teachers that are on teacher advisory council that are taxpayers for Richmond Falls ISTD. Yeah. and that usually during our board meetings if they speak that's kind of what

052they'll say I'm so and so I live in the community whatever >> so I'm just going to repeat make sure I understand this right so the decision of of which schools to close in that plan that was made by leadership >> and then >> we just we would make some recommendations based on data that we have from our uh from our software frontline we use frontline uh software >> ultimately the trust your board >> 100% they make every decision >> your board So these all these different committees advise you on the ongoing implementation >> of the the plan >> a little they they may they give us suggestions and feedback on yes we think this is a good idea here's some other things you need to look at or more oftent times than not if

053it relates to their campus like last week with Fowler we don't think that you should close the campus because it's currently an A-rated campus we're afraid that if you move this 125 students from Fowler and you move them over to Crockett, Fowler's going to become a B. We're afraid that that it's going to be uh you're going to move too many students in there, we're going to be over capacity. So, they give us all of that feedback and then we're able to go, thank you for sharing that concern about it being over over capacity at McNeel. As a matter of fact, Fowler's over capacity now. So, and you're able to share those those things, but it's all just feedback and recommendations. We present all that information to the board. We usually have a point person

054that can present and then the board makes the decisions. >> So, you just bring those recommendations. >> That's it. Yeah. I don't do anything >> except say here it is board. Y'all are the ones that are going to have to make this decision. >> What is what is your timing on that? because that kind of dialogue um you know could go on for years. >> I've got a a great question and as we get to uh this I've got matter of fact I've got a checklist for you guys. >> So yeah. >> So it's like >> I can hold my question. >> Uh uh September to October. Boom boom boom because I'm doing it right now with McNeel. >> Okay. >> And Jefferson. So I'm I'm literally and it says Jefferson in there so just

055scratch that. But this is what we're doing. It may get too much in the weeds for you, but we get all the way down to moving in FFE. >> You can't get too much into the weeds with this. So, this is just important. >> This is what work again. This is a way. It's not the way. This is just a way. >> It's worked for us. >> That's what I mean. >> But we are an ISV and independent. I think that's the the thing that we get is people think that since we've openly said we've never closed and everybody lives in this community knows we've never closed the campus that we don't know what we're doing and that we need to talk to some people that do know what they're doing. >> So that's kind

056of even around here we do have neighboring districts that are closing schools. Um but again you know when dog and I heard you speak to to AJ's point we were like no way you built schools and closed schools and passed the bond all at the same time. So >> yeah. Okay. I wasn't aware y'all had a closed one. So, yeah, it's >> again that adds another layer to it of uncertainty and and and fear and things like that. So, okay. Questions, by the way, because this is what I want it to be. This I'm just set the tone and I want to hear from you guys and y'all kind of interact and talk and and go from there. Any questions or feedback from what I've done with your thoughts? >> Dr. Lee, how important is

057it or how Do you think it's important to not pepper a community with closures? And you know if you are if you have future plans right as enrollment declines looking at it more long-term versus by you know type elementary middle and height. >> When you say pepper will you >> like today we're talking about elementaryaries. In a couple years we'll talk about middles and in five years we'll talk about high school. >> I see. Okay. >> What do you think is a better game plan? Is it to look at that long long view now or to handle it separately? >> Yeah. What worked for us is looking five years ahead and developing a plan because you're going to have outside external forces attacking that plan concept. But if you have a plan and you're unified

058as a team like Dave, this is what we have planned that was devised by our board uh uh constituted through many many different learning uh listening sessions and it is laid out and before it was adopted the community have an opportunity to give feedback on such plan and so but if you're just every year coming up with another plan and another plan it makes it very difficult. So, I think our board was very uh had the foresight to say, "Here's our five-year plan. Here's what it looks like. Donnie, you and your team go execute." And that's kind of gave us the flexibility to go execute, work, get into the weeds, and then bring them back the recommendations for that. But, I mean, they were involved along the way with ad hoc and things like that.

059But, uh, >> I want to hear what your your um thoughts are on this. One of the challenges that we have with that is that we, you know, have the model for predicting a continual decline in our enrollment. >> They are or not? >> They are. Okay. >> In fact, they underpredicted this year with fewer students than they >> So, ours has made errors but under >> who's your demand for Alexander with school district strategies. >> Okay. Yeah. So, they predicted fewer kids that are leaving than actually left. >> Yeah, that sounds about right. That's a trend in the state. >> Yeah. >> But um but you know, we have other people in the community that really firmly believe that we're growing or we're going to grow or because we're an aging community. So eventually

060I mean eventually all these homeowners are the homes are going to open up and be available. And so they they firmly believe that we're going to >> rebuild and we're going to grow again. >> Okay. I see. And nobody has a crystal ball >> um to you know to swear what's going to happen >> in three or four years. >> Yeah. Well, you can still take some data. I'm sure you do this already and look at your graduating seniors versus your incoming kindergarten. I mean, and you can kind of see birth rate. I mean, there's a lot of things you can do besides going, >> I think we're going to grow. And and that will get you into a big bind on I think I'm gonna grow, right? Because in two years you've lost the

061campus. >> That mean we got people that really think we're going to grow. >> Yeah. And they'll and they'll and they're going to think that you're going to grow and what's going to happen is they're going to cause y'all to go >> because you're going to lose kids and lose kids and lose kids and lose kids and things are going to stay the same. And then you're going to end up into a huge budget deficit paying for it by fund balance. And that's not a systematic way to run a business. >> Oh, absolutely. >> Yeah. And so all we can do and operate is with the data that we have, right? And so you can forecast data, but you can't do it on hoping and wishing. >> Okay, that's just >> Dr. Lee, your decline.

062Do you know how much of your loss was to private institutions? >> Yes, ma'am. So we do labor reports. Uh the overwhelming majority is through homeschool. Home school. Yes ma'am. Okay. >> And so then we we lose some to Holiday City View Bernadette. Not very many but that's the overwhelming majority. >> So not a private just mostly home school. >> Our privates are small but they're trying to expand you know rascals. Uh but they don't have and we all we have to offer them our buildings. So we do every time and they decline them because they're so big and expensive. But I'm wondering what's going to happen in 26 27 when >> right >> yeah they got 10 grand. >> Sure. And what is your opinion on treating them including the homeschoolers as as competitors

063and trying to retain your your students? Are you doing anything differently to be able to compete with parents who want to homeschool or private school? >> Yeah. So we do a few things. Of course we offer different programmings that try to attract is that what you're talking about like different programmings what and but we have done as well and I don't know if this is depending on what y'all think we have not made it easy for parents to put kids in homeschool because we get a lot of those students back and they're way behind >> you get them back >> we get some not a lot and it's almost a detriment but we want them back so we do not allow our kids that go to home school to participate in UIL activities we think

064that that's a mistake our board does and and James Frank is the one who wrote the bill and he's a Witchaw Falls guy. Yeah. So, he doesn't really like us a whole lot right now. So, um so we try we just try to attract them through transparency. We do have a culture of unreasonable hospitality that we work through and we partner with Chick-fil-A and so we're trying to treat our people right and so we we work through that systematically and saying treat your people better. You know, we train them through kind of the Chick-fil-A Ritz Carlton model. Um because we we firmly believe that you know that's all this competition is fixing to take place right and and parents are going to go to where they feel that you're taking care of their kids and

065and teachers are going to stay where they feel more valued and so we work on that idea. So that was our whole principal leadership institute. We just had Frislin uh the future ready superintendent leadership academy come to Witto Falls is 200 you've been a part of that 200 superintendents were just in Witchaw Falls this last week and that was our theme you know unreasonable hospitality how do we treat people right we do all we can have these big beautiful buildings and we do I mean they are state-of-the-art losing momentum >> so we have $300 million you can't find it and they're still leaving so it ain't the building right it ain't the curriculum we use great curriculum we have an IB program stay the I So, it's they for some reason they're still leaving. And

066a lot of times when we survey and when the survey results get back, they're always upset about how they felt about something, right? And so we train our people that answer the phone. How do you answer the phone at the administration building? That person destroy you. Uh how does your principal uh campus secretaries answer the phone? I mean, just we get into it a little bit. So, yeah, we do all those things and try to just we're just trying to keep the kids we have, >> right? So, That's important. >> Yep. >> Donnie, can um just piggy back off of what Mary was kind of touching on. So, you come up with your five-year plan, right? But there there's no way you can truly predict the migration of anything. I mean, we we learned that,

067you know, starting in 2019 through COVID. I mean, everything, you know, >> yeah, >> any predictions and any models that anybody comes out with are usually incorrect. I mean, we've just seen that over and over again. So, you come up with this 5-year plan and these ideas of repurposing and closing and all that. And you touched on something huge. You just spent $300 million to build two new high schools, but people are still leaving. >> Mhm. >> And so, how in this five-year plan, do you guys have a pivot point where you guys can work through and change? Because you can sell a five-year plan all day. >> I mean, it's I'm reminded of the movie Big Daddy when she's like fell down. You don't have a fiveyear plan. And then at the end, you

068know, maybe it was a 10ear plan. Yeah. And so it it which makes me chuckle and so like we can plan these five year plans out three or five years and this is what our hope is but at the end of the day we can't control what the population does or or if they like you said they decide to homeschool because it's better for their family or their extracurriculars or they decide private school or charter whatever they or just moving and lifting they want different lifestyle. So >> how do you guys pivot on that especially when you've sold so much in bonds to repurpose and redesign and move these buildings? you got 700, you know, person middle or elementary school you're popping out now. Like how how do you keep that in mind um and

069still be fiscally responsible because it's just cuz we look at it now and and people talk to me about what we're doing and I'm like yeah, you know, the hope is that this is what is going to happen and where we're going to level off and transition, but you can't truly predict >> any of that. >> That's right. >> And so it's like, you know, some of these elementary parents, I can't even, you know, is this going to happen to me again? Well, I mean, I'd love to say no, but I I can't predict that in the next 10 or 12 years, like what's going to, you know, what's going to happen. Heck, when I ran for the board, I could have never predicted like that's what I get to do. That's right. You know,

070so how do you guys adjust and work through that? Sorry, that was really long. >> No, that's a great question. It's a difficult question. I'll give you a specific example of what we've done at the high school level for that. So at the high school level to to uh to really dive deep into what happens if we lose some more students or gain some more students because what to your question what if all of a sudden we gain or what if we lose the high schools what we did is when we adjusted the lines we put more at legacy that's on the east side of town. So we we enrolled 1,800 students over there and we put 1,40 at Memorial. ahead a little bit about 36 3,700 high school students because our thoughts were and

071the board's thoughts and the community advisory council's thoughts were all of the enrollment is going west and it is and it was so that the legacy population will gradually decrease so that's why we put more over there and the memorials will steadily increase so they plan for that ahead of time and that's what the that's what all the data showed that's how we drew the lines and what do you know I And that's the thing for once that's exactly what's happened. >> So on the other end, well, what if by some miracle Wall Falls get sees this enrollment boom. >> Uh we we they bought uh space on both sides of the high school to for additional to put additional uh buildings up for wings. >> Okay. For Yeah. >> But in the unlikely event

072that we just get all and we hope we do. I mean, we're starting to get businesses and the data centers and Amazon all them are there. But uh uh not a lot of house tops. So we that that's kind of how we do it at the high school. >> Okay. >> So systematic thought about that. And then >> so kind of hedging your bets and how you're re when you redraw the lines, hedging that bet and how you redraw the lines to ensure that where you might get some >> That's right. And and be willing to redraw the lines if we got them wrong. >> Yeah. We have board members that that we have one uh that says we need to be redrawing these every year. That's what he says. How many of them been

073reelected? All of them. >> Every one of them. >> Kudos. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> That's right. And >> we should have a mixer with your daughter. >> You can. They got some stories to tell. Yeah. It hasn't been easy. I mean, and I think a couple of them trying to remember back. The last time they went unimposed, they nobody ran against them. The time before that they had a had some people run against them and things like that. Had to spend a little money, but uh to capture their seat. But it's been they've been really good. So, >> did you have an issue with all with all of this stuff? Did you have an issue with >> rumor mill and misinformation >> being spread? Okay, bet. And how did you tackle that? >> So,

074with our communication plan, we we have this uh saying, "Tell your story or someone else will." How about that? Right. And uh so we through our partnerships, we have two local news stations that are very active. Uh Texoma, which is Channel 3, and Kotv Channel 6. We have a newspaper uh there. And so from the day that I got there, I've just been partnering with them and because how I came in was on a riff and kind of a stiff arm mentality. And so we kind of just did the opposite and hug the prickly pears, you know, and uh and so I have a spot on every news station that's systematically every other Tuesday six o'clock for 20 minutes. And that's >> Yeah. Yeah. >> And it's great because it gets rid of that. So

075I they always go Dale. He's the man. What do you want me to ask you? >> What do you want to talk about? And it's the last one. If you watch it, it's I mean it it's all over boundaries, closures. I mean, we've done some very controversial things with uh um partner partnered with a uh a turnaround school called Third Future. Um and so that was highly contested issue. We um so we had to talk about that. When we opened up two new high schools and closed three, the biggest issue that came up that we were not aware of is we had Ryder was a B. Um uh Waw Falls High School was a high C and Hershey, which is our east side of town, but year after year after year since 2015, the struggles

076df. You combine them and we made sure that we had economically disadvantage was balanced all of our everything. Okay. So we we put them all in to to two high schools. We completely closed story. You know what happened? >> What lags? One year >> CCMR and graduation rate. >> My community was livid. When our ratings came out in Memorial, which is the rider attendance zone, it was a D. Legacy was an F. But if you overlay the CCMR and you overlay the graduation rate, it's a B and a 78. So I had to get on there and communicate the heck out of that. We appealed it to Morath because we were the only one in the state to do that and he goes, "Nope, you should have staggered on that. You should have done freshman

077and sophomores only." But we could we couldn't even do that. And so trying to communicate and explain the attendance zones and why that happened. >> So you did that through the media? >> Through the media, through uh through social media, through my community advisory council. So they can tell it through my teacher advisor coun through my mcit IT I'm going to sound like a broken record but I go through with them with everything everything because if I say it of course he's going to say it >> right so you have to educate them and bring them in bring them in we meet face to face you know my community advisory council and my MCI and we give them the information look at it here's the overlay look at this look at the CCMR rate look

078at that we show and 98.9 graduation rate. Look at that. And then we give them the calculations. So we do that with the attendant zones, too. We bring them in and show them front line. Okay, y'all don't like this. We're Southwest Parkway. We're going to cut it. Show us where to place it the line then. And then they just like, well, of course it's got to be right there. Right. And so they're like, oh, now I see. And then they tell it. So, and then some of those people, we take it a step further in the community advisory council, their job is to get on rants and raise and and and and rebutt the lies that get on there. >> The social media >> social media, we have social media warriors. >> Oh, they're out

079there. >> Yeah. But I'm saying we have them too >> to tell the truth because if we don't tell the truth, someone else is going to tell it for us, right? And so, yeah, we just try to tell it and tell it and tell So yeah, someone else will also say that your truth is a lie. >> They're going to that's just going to happen, right? That's just going to happen. But if you're unified as a team of eight, this is the truth. Here's what we're doing. Here's why we're doing it. We can show you. Come to the meeting, you know, come look at it. Come be a part of our ad hoc committee. Thank you so much for joining the community advisory council. We love to have you, right? And you have to bring

080in those people that loudest against it and get their feedback, right? Some of the people that adamate against all this stuff are some of the best people now for ambassadors for us. So don't mean that it's going to work that way here, but >> inspiring. >> Yeah. Okay. What else? What other questions you have? >> Yeah, I've got a few questions. Sure, Tony. I liked it earlier the way you talked about the first time you captured their imagination. I think that was very close to the phrase that you used and if understood you correctly is whenever they saw the new high school, right, in your in your district. So, where along in this timeline, you might be able to highlight this for us later if we're going through the timeline in more detail. When was

081it that y'all first considered that idea of, hey, how do we capture their imagination? When was it that you're making decisions about what needs to be put in place to actually make that vision, start putting in those building blocks to achieve it? Because there's a substantial difference, a fundamental difference between telling people what you're doing versus showing them where you're going. Yep. And so how is it that y'all factor that in from the beginning even before y'all started talking about closing certain campuses? Give me a feel for that because I think ultimately >> that's what's important. People will can be led towards what they can see. Fantastic question. And so to answer your question, we did that a year ahead of time and we spent a little money and we hired a communications firm. It's

082called Hager. And what we did is to capture their imagination, we put the imagination into real life, into pictures with buildings that weren't even built yet. So, we created this amazing commercial. I wish I had it to show you. It will literally give you chills. >> And it's, you know, we have a students walking through the the school. It's not even built yet. And it just tells a story. And it tells a story on not where we're at, but where we're going. And then we capture their imagination that way. And we show that commercial over and over and over. Paid Super Bowl ad. I mean, we really Yeah. I mean, we did it. >> You did? >> Yes. I think we saw it Diana. It was really good. You saw it. It was good. >>

083It was really good. And that's I kind of that's that's kind of why I feel bad because we are not building a new building. >> But you don't have We didn't do that with just uh the buildings. We do that with McNeil Elementary. We're doing that right now. We're in the process of telling the story on what we're doing and what we're because the rumors are everywhere. Oh, they're just closing in middle McNeil Middle School. They're going to shove these kids into elementary. >> That's what they're saying. And we're like, "Hold on a second." So, we're got we've got all of our uh floor plans and we've been showing that to our teacher advisory council because they were a little up in arms uh two weeks ago like that's not true. we heard they're not

084even getting bathrooms in the uh kindergarten classroom and you know all those things are coming out and it's been in the board means what we're doing but you have to tell it and tell it and then show it and show it and show it and show it and show it and we show it on loop and then they still you know some don't want to get on board with it but so we just kind of that's what we would just tell the story show the story tell the story show the story tell the story show and then take them to it. So then once it gets to a point where you put a hard hat on, no matter if you're renovating, refreshing, or rebuilding, you can show them. And then once they can see it,

085feel it, touch it, hear it, they're going to buy in. Most most, not all, but most will. And so that's the plan. We're just rinse and repeating with McNeel. You know, we've already started that process then. So >> these are great questions, by the way. Yeah. >> Yeah. Earlier there was some comments. made some questions and it was in the context of you talking about the different councils, committees, groups of people, citizens, um, civic leaders and there I think there might have been a little bit of ambiguity in that. The question was posed, can you imagine doing not doing those? And I think the question was in the context of making these decisions without the input of those uh, those councils and your answer was more in the context of the idea of closing campuses

086that being a necessity in y'all's in y'all's district. So >> I guess my question is could you have imagined making those decisions to close uh campuses without having received without the input of those committees, those groups, those councils that you were talking about? >> Mhm. >> Okay. >> No, you need the feedback and you need a feedback over and over again. So you'll collect the feedback and then we would do what I'm hearing you say is, is this actually what I'm hearing you say? And then you can get some more feedback on that. Then you meet with them again. >> Yeah. So, >> so I think we're So, again, we're we're at the end of our our process. >> Um, the way that we designed our committee is every board member picked two people. So,

087>> community members. >> Okay. >> And we, you know, now we have 11 elementaryaries that are under capacity. So, you could close >> any 11. >> All 11 are under capacity. >> Yeah. Okay. So it becomes a math equation. It becomes So we have boundary issues just like you mentioned. Okay. We have the same boundary issues. >> We have uh we've got to make sure that our numbers line up correctly. >> Sure. >> So exactly to to what you're saying. So >> um our our committee has literally been figuring out what the best equations are, which which are more palatable. uh how much can you do? Um you know what the right mixture is th those kinds of things. >> Um the there we did include the cities but they said it was political suicide.

088>> So when >> who said it was political? >> The the city. >> Okay. >> One one of our cities. >> One of the cities. Yes. And so >> political suicide to close a campus. >> Yes. and then they didn't want to be a part of it. >> Okay. >> Because it was political suicide. >> I see. >> So we don't have that that partnership that you're talking about. >> I got you. >> We don't have that. >> So yeah. >> In fact, it's become a >> Is that right? >> Okay. >> So we have some factors that >> Yeah. Everybody's in unique. Yeah. Yeah. Y are unique >> that aren't um >> well let's dig through that then on y'all's side that but first that was just kind of on what we did and

089so let's talk about y'all's a little bit and I got some one slide that generate some discussion on what y just doing which is great. I just looked at y'all's enrollment trends, which y'all know them better than I do, but I I've really uh y'all got a steadily steady steady decline for many years now, and you can see I just went back to 2019. Uh looked at, you know, your TAPR data, your enrollment trends, and this is the most accurate data that I could find. Uh so about a loss of 1500 students since 2019. Is that about right, Brad? >> Yeah. Yeah. The one thing I want to say, Donnie, this is masked a bit because we have a virtual school. >> And so, okay, um, you can really subtract on this year's number on

090that 13366. You can subtract 1,600 from that, which is about 118, and that's how many we have in brick and mortar. >> So, >> okay. So, yeah, didn't show me that. >> So, we were able to actually offset some of that decline in our in our brick and mortar. We work uh >> uh because we increased our virtual enrollment. Last year we were at about 13 we'll just say 1380 1370. Yeah. >> And this year we're at like 1615 we'll say. Gotcha. >> So that was a pretty good jump for us in meeting those enrollment targets on the virtual side. Now we we just continue to see and you touched on it that graduate those graduating seniors. You know our large classes are graduating out and those smaller the smaller kindergarten group. There's about a

091300 student delta there. And you know, I'm in and kind of predicting that's going to continue and possibly even grow a little bit those gaps, you know, as we >> Okay, that's good information to have. So, I asked you this just a little bit ago. It was a rhetorical question not to be answered, but it's it's really important that why are you having these discussions right now? and can you really articulate it on why you're having these discussions and articulate it to your community, your stakeholders, and those that are involved, your parents on that. So, with that being said, I want to pass these out and I I printed uh some for team as well. I think I got 14 or 15 there. back there, then you're more than welcome to have one back there

092as well. >> And so this is going to follow this presentation. So that way you're not just looking at a presentation. You're going to have the presentation in your hand. And if we if you would just take a take a couple minutes and write down your why, you know, why are you on this board? Think about that. >> Now, you want us to talk about our personal why >> we're looking at >> and why your personal why is this this specific topic important to you? >> So, we're going to center this whole team of eight discussion around the consolidation and closures of campuses. So, what is your why? Why as a board member is this important to you? doesn't have to be long and and drawn out. Maybe just a couple sentences and we'll share

093out just articulate that for just a second. We're just answering number one, right? >> Is number one. Yes, ma'am. I'm great. Thanks very much. >> And then who would like to share out? Let's go around and share out what what is your what is your why? >> I'll go first. >> Thank you. um budget deficits and we were elected to make important decisions for our community and even though it's a hard decision, >> I think it's better in a smaller group than having representation for every single school too. I was more general. Um I care about outcomes. I care about excellence and I care about the quality of what we produce. Yeah, I would say stewardship both fiscally and both in that moral obligation that we owe to all of our families and all of

094our students. Um I mean my belief is that I mean we're here because of the contributions and hard work and dedication commitment of people before us. There will be groups after us, parents, students, trustees and so ultimately whether we left it in better shape than we found it. I think that's that's what I feel. I mean in all all honesty with this group it's something that consumes almost all my thoughts when it comes to what we do as a board. Love it. >> I'll go. Mine's the long-term sustainability for GCSD and to provide resources appropriately. >> Love it. Anything else? Public education is the cornerstone of our country and therefore of our community. And I want us um as a community to continue to meet the everchanging challenges with intelligence and courage to ensure the

095sustainability and continuity of the excellence. >> Thank you. >> Anybody else want to share? >> Sure. >> Um I'll do I did two W's. Why am I on the board? Um, this is actually going to be a serious response, people. Um, why am I on the board? Uh, I saw some things um during CO that that I didn't quite love as as a product of this community and of this school district. So, I wanted to run to bring excellence in education back to GCISD. Why are we looking at closures? Um it's a variety of things that everybody's already said, but you know um declining enrollment, budgetary issues, but to also be able to pour instead of spreading our resources so so thin to maintain buildings, support our resources pack where it matters, which like you

096said, you can have all the fancy buildings in the world that you want, but at the end of the day, it's what's taking place in those buildings and that that educational level. So it's really why closures just to get fiscally responsible so we can actually begin to pour our resources back into the classroom and to our teachers and to our students. I'm >> trying to be succinct here. I mean, I think the biggest overarching theme is because there are 13,000 students here that um depend on the decisions that we make. Um because I feel strongly that our community and our cities and our country um thrive off of making sure that our kids are educated with a world-class education. But I also feel a responsibility to do what's right strategically for the community for many

097years to come, including, you know, the ones where I'm not sitting in the seat, >> right? >> So, but I love the comment about leaving it a little bit better than we found it. There you go. Love it. >> Well, good. And we we do that. We kind of frame everything from this point forward on your why. And your why a lot of times are your values, right? And so what I would like for you to think about that as we extend that is our values mapping. We we usually have five sticky notes, but you see five boxes on your sheet right there. And this is just to kind of get you thinking and and hearing each other's thoughts about this because this is critical when we start going through this exercise and talking about

098important decisions like this is our why and our values. Like why are we doing this consistently? Why are we doing this? Why is it important? and value map these things. On each one of these boxes, just just a one sentence line, I want you to talk about what must remain true in Greatvine Collville ISD no matter what. So, in other words, what are the non-negotiables? So, what must remain true no matter what decisions we make about the facilities? In other words, what are your non-negotiables in regards to this? Think through that. We put five stick in the five boxes right there and write those out. I'm going to give you three or four minutes. Think that through and want to hear your values. What's important that as we are if some changes are going to

099take place, what isn't going to change over here? What are your anchors? Can we have a chicken? Ron, as they're wrapping up, we still have two wrapping that up. Let's let's hear and hear from each other because y'all don't know if y'all done this exercise or had conversations as a team of eight in regards to your why. And it's important for everybody to be on the same page and hear each other's and then what are your values on decisions that you're making? Would you mind starting us off on what are what are some non-negotiables and your values? Community engagement and partnerships, long-term sustainability, exceptional outcomes, family focused environment, and exceptional staff. >> Improving student outcomes. >> Students have a positive campus culture, educators that are valued and thriving, legacy, which is traditions, even new ones

100that come from consolidation, and parent involvement. >> Good. Yes. Um quality education, best teachers and staff to keep the building safe for all our student personnel. Uh maintain the quality of our buildings up really students graduated with skills for their next phase of life >> and to teach good character to all students. >> Okay. >> Yeah. I've got afford every student opportunity so they can be judged based upon their own merit. um instill a sense of what I think of as like kindness and decency at a very fundamental level. >> Y >> um maybe I should have put this one first. Valuing our educators, making sure that regardless of these changes that we're navigating that they that they are educators, whether they're driving buses or run or the the superintendent that we value them. >>

101Yeah. >> Um >> Yeah. >> Good. Love it. Um, so I've got excellence in education, history and heritage, uh, involvement in both community and parent, uh, our legacy, and then our love of our community. >> Love it. Yep. >> That, um, we offer educational excellence to every student. Um, we're preparing students for a successful future. Um, this is in no particular order either. We create an attractive workplace for staff. We're good partners to our community and that we create schools that make our community a desirable place to live and we engage families. >> Love it. Y um mine are also not in any particular order. I'd say uh maintaining this place to be a great place to work for our workforce. Um safety and security of every student in our care. um of course an

102outstanding education where every student gets a full year's worth of growth um engaged community and um parents and then um maintaining a spirit of innovation and curiosity. >> So were there some themes that coincide with each other? >> Love hear it, don't you? You hear over and over. Academic excellence, which in a board meeting, I'm sure you you got to keep the main thing the main thing, don't you? >> Yeah. Academic excellence. So, are we doing this under the pillar of academic excellence? I heard a lot about taking care of your staff, taking care of our people, which is very important because they're going to have a lot of questions. Um, that's their first question is what about me and what does this mean for me? Am I do I have a job? >> Uh,

103if I have a job, is it the same job that I had last year? And you have to be explain those difficult decisions, right? Uh, safety and security. Heard of that one several times. And then you mentioned traditions >> and that's a really nice input because traditions that you have now and traditions that will be created later is important to think about and uh and helping your community see that and create those traditions for later if you had a new campus. Right. So very good. Donnie, do you mind if I just kind of just pipe in one thing? One thing that when you were talking about that and Kathy, I thought y'all your two five were just amazing. But one thing we we've been able to see that with is Collieville Heritage, right? Collieville Heritage

104is our newer high school, 25 26 plus years old. And um it came online fighting the tradition of Gravine, which is our historical campus that started the whole thing. um that is deep rooted in history um with legacy and and just you know amazing things. What I what I've noticed really especially for Collville Heritage is um they've they've created their own culture and their own tradition and something pretty amazing and it's pretty fun to see especially just in these last couple years on the board and being able to focus in on cable heritage. they've done some really amazing things and so with the help of you know the district but also just community members so I think we can kind of use that almost as a roadmap when some of these schools get consolidated to

105build that new legacy and combine some things because I I think they've done some really unique and amazing things that even sometimes um don't kill me legacy grapevine but that sometimes outshadow what what Gravine's doing right now versus what doing so it's it's really cool thing to see um in our community likes it when we talk good about I was a teacher and a coach and I taught there for 20 years I taught >> I am the panther of the red but they went to great vine she taught at great vine her kids went to great went to great vine so I get it but >> to um AJ's point the building opened in 1996 so we don't have >> the alumni from 100 years ago they're on the 106 football team at great vine

106Mhm. >> And and it it you know, you hear that all the time, right? >> Yes. So, >> yes, absolutely. >> I I think that that is a I'm glad you think that. I think that you could teach a master class to >> not you could, but >> the the model that that high school has done could be a really great example for >> the merges. Yeah. >> Because just the new things you guys are doing is something different. you're stepping out and finally getting like Kyle Harris is doing something really unique and they're not just the little brother that's trying to fight with great mind. They're like no we have our we have our own thing now and they're doing some really great things which is exciting to see >> just as a community.

107>> Yeah. >> And it's been hard for me to even wear a great mine shirt just >> All right. All right. There we go. >> But to this point I never I mean Great was just the other school, right? >> Sure. And so, >> whoa. >> And so, for me being on this board the last two and a half years straight, I mean, I was kind of disappointed because I wanted to go to the volleyball game tonight. Great. Volleyball team is playing, right? So, those are my friends. But, um, so so I get that. I mean, I see the tradition and I see the the legacy and that everybody talks about. So, I even see it differently >> from my role here, >> right? Through different lenss. Yeah. >> I think the difference here though

108is the blending of of some folks into existing campuses, right? It'd be like taking Collieville Heritage today and putting it into Grapevine as an example and really cohesively melding the the both cultures in one place without one overpowering the other and coming up with something new >> together to go forward. Right. >> And you can make that something amazing. Yeah. You know, you take the best of literally the best of both worlds and just expl I really see >> more of the community of the committees like he's talking about. I mean, we >> we just haven't gotten to that point. You know, we we've got to get to that point. That is the next stage, right? >> We need parents. We need faculty to talk about how to blend the cultures of whichever school it's

109going to be because I think that we could rather than one this is won't be my decision but rather than one dissolving we going into the cultures of two just in a different location. That would be that would be my hope and my desire. This is elementary school like you said it's much easier than high school. >> It honestly is. Yeah, it is. It is much easier than >> Yeah, it it's high schools. They're they're challenging because that's an alma moater. I mean, you graduated from there and you have those I can't imagine. It's it's more challenging from that perspective. Yeah. >> But but to your point when we had those three, we're able to capture some of those traditions from all three and put them into each one in their own way. And that

110wasn't no none of our ideas. That was studentled, parentled, and community led. >> I think that's so key, right? Like we're just not there yet. >> So if Ryder's gone, does that mean did I win further into the playoffs? >> I'm plugging >> the R. >> Who did I lose to? Where are we? >> They're Ryder Middle School. If you can believe that or not, it's Ryder Middle School. >> That might make it worse. >> Yeah. So that was part of our community. They wanted to keep So Ryder got to keep its namesake, its colors, its mascot and all that. >> That's cool. That's a good >> So it's just middle school. >> Um and Hershey did too as I showed you that Hershey the community decided that >> they when they wanted that. >>

111Yes. >> If the buildings could be saved, that was part of the 5-year plan. >> Old High couldn't because of the cost to eliminate it. We had a structural engineer come and they're like, "Hey, this is $12 million." So then our ad hoc committee said, "No, we're not spending $12 million on that building. We can put that into other areas." So >> your adopt committee, that's kind of like where we're working. >> Yeah. >> Yep. So all right. Any other questions on that? Good feedback. >> Really appreciate. This is really great. >> Good. Yeah. >> Good. We're going to get We're going to keep getting a little bit deeper and deeper here as we go to the next thing. And here's here's a question that's on your next one. If we close campuses, meaning at

112Great Vine College, they'll close his campus, a campus or campuses. I fear what? Think about that question seriously. And what is your fear? And be be vulnerable here if you would. And say talk about all your fears that you're going to have. It could be something as honest as, man, if I if we close campuses, I I'm scared to that death I won't get reelected. I mean that's that's a true fear that one of a couple of my board members had. I mean you can be as honest about that just be get them all out uh up to three what or you just have one fear you don't fear anything but you probably fear something. So if we close campuses, I fear what? Take a 60 seconds. 2 minutes. And just to ruin the suspense,

113if we don't close campuses, I fear is the next question. So, it's like if we if we close them, you might not fear anything. I'm just I'm not speaking for. But if we don't, what do you fear about that? So, go ahead and let's go ahead and write both of those. The next questions on the back of your first page, and then we're going to share out what you fear on both of those scenarios. [Applause] And again, this is for y'all's dialogue to talk with each other about this. We'll go in the same order as we did the last time and just to hear each other's thoughts and have your dialogue across from each other. And what what do you fear if we close campuses if anything? >> So, I don't fear a lot. I

114I I I'm I like change. I I think change is healthy. I think it's um >> I think it's good to be uncomfortable. So, I kind of live my life in in that like personally I kind of live like that. >> Um so, I don't fear a whole lot in terms of that. I can see things to finish products. I can see uh what things are going to look like and I'm I'm more excited about like I see nothing but upside. I see nothing but positive. Um is there going to be change and you know uncomfortableness? Yes. But I think there's growth in that. And I think that it's it's um important for us to be able to again getting smaller isn't terrible. Getting smaller means that we can reinvest in ourselves. we can start

115doing things, you know, get rid of the things we're not doing well and and you know, go kill what we're doing. So, um, in terms of the the fear if we don't, I mean, we we can't it's not sustainable. What we're doing is not sustainable and we cannot um continue down this road. I mean, we have a lot of people that are like, you got to, you know, overturn every stone. Well, we have we've gone through and gotten a Vader and we've cut the staff and we've, you know, we've gotten honed in on, you know, our reams of paper. I mean, you know, so our budget is under control. It's just now getting to where we can sustain ourselves and and really and truly give some relief because every year is just fighting a number.

116You're just running after a number that it doesn't feel like you can ever reach. >> So, am I hearing you you if we don't close you fear financial implications. Is that what it is? Okay, >> good. Thank you. What about you? You if we do and if we don't close campuses, what are your fears? >> I I don't like change. So, we're off the in that um aspect. My fear is threats and hate from the community. >> If you if you do close >> threats and hate from the community, okay, >> and that my family would be targeted. >> Okay. And then financial ruin is the flip side of that. >> If we if we don't Okay, thank you for sharing that. >> Um my fear is people leaving. They're going to have other options.

117So not just but if they're unhappy and we move their kid and they are, you know, want to go to the same school and then if we don't close, we will be too far into our fund balance and we will eventually be bankrupt if we continue to do what we're doing. >> Financial implications. Okay. >> Yeah. I would say that to the extent that people don't feel heard or they feel like their concerns are delegitimized that that will hamper our ability to embrace the future because ultimately if you discredit somebody's concerns you're discrediting them. >> Yes sir. uh if we don't consolidate schools, if we if that decision is made to not pursue that, similar to what the other two people trustees said, excuse me, three trustees, pardon me, um I'm concerned about the long-term

118financial consequences of that because if we are subsidizing um um inefficient obser operations, that is by definition a limited time frame that we can actually do that. >> And and how much do y'all send back to the state each year? >> So last year was around 32 million. It was almost double that through compression and whatnot we >> yeah we're not getting to keep more >> no we're not so about 32 million what is your what's your overall budget >> about 185 >> 185 so okay thank you for that >> yeah that's good >> uh I'm kind of along the lines with Shannon I don't I don't fear um anything with this because I know it's the right decision. Um what what I do fear if if we don't make what I believe is the

119right decision um I think that there's massive consequences. One is financial insolveny and with that comes a diminishing level of education and if you don't have um you know especially here if you don't provide an excellent product you're not getting excellent families to come into this community. And so one kind of leads to the other. And so I I look at where I grew up and how I grew up and where I'm choosing to raise my family and I fear if we don't take these steps, these necessary steps to get leaner and meaner, um it'll end kind of the Gravine Collville community as we have known it. >> Good. Love it. All right. The fear if we close or we don't. My my in fear is the same whether we close or whether we don't

120close and that's that our our future sustainability will be derailed and compromised. >> You know, I I fear that if we close because we live in such a passionate and loud community that there there's a chance that at some point along the line the actions that we need to take will will be derailed because because I've I've seen that before. We probably all have where you're like, "Oh, the community outcries just I can't handle it. Just forget it. Forget it." >> Sure. >> Um and then our fiscal sustainability is at stake. And then if we don't close schools, Yeah. I fear that um if we don't make the the difficult decisions in spite of um that we're never going to ever please everybody. Um, and they're always going to be able to say, "Well, it's

121not what you're doing, but the way you did it do did it, or it's actually what you're doing." You know, there's always it's always something if um if we don't have the courage to move forward and do what we've got to do to protect our future, then again, we'll compromise on sustainability of our district. >> Good feedback. Thank you. >> So, for me, it's um and especially listening to you talk, Dr. Clearly, I I worry that we will inflict more damage without a um long-term view um and just, you know, doing things as as we come across them. But I'm concerned about stretching our staff and I'm also worried about losing more students. I think that is a very real and possible thing. Um what if we don't close schools I worry that we won't

122uh do what is necessary to shore up the financial gap and I think that's that's a mustdo. Um so whatever road that needs to be it needs to be done somehow and uh it it'll be a lot of hard work and heavy li have y'all heard each other's fears before feedback from each other on that. I don't I don't think we've ever had Well, Matt's new here, so >> Okay. How long have you been on the board? >> I used to have a day count, but since May. >> Since May. Hey, would y'all do this? I maybe should have done this. Would you go around and tell me how long you've been on the board and if you're a Grapevine Collieville graduate? That would help too. >> Uh, it's two and a half years. And

123yes. >> Okay. Thank you. >> So, since May. I'm not, but I married one. >> Okay. So, same. >> Yeah. So, both my boys are they're second, second, fourth grade. They're going to they're going to go all the way through GCIs. >> And kids in the district. >> Yes, sir. >> Yeah. One middle school. >> She won both their tennis matches. >> Right. >> Uh I was teacher for 33 years, but I've been in this district for 20 >> and yes, I live in Collville and I've been on the board for two and a half years. >> Years. Thank you. >> I am just starting my fourth year. Very deep. My kids are fifth generation. >> Okay. Yes. Did you graduate from here? might be dead. Yes. >> Four and a half years. And then

124my my I graduated and my husband graduated and my kids graduated. >> Nobody graduated. Nobody >> moved to to Collieville in 2020 >> from >> um from Arlington and from private schools. Never never went to a public school, but uh education is so important. >> Sure. So, I don't have the attachment, the emotional attachment to some of the U high schools, especially the high schools, but I do have two children in the district >> that have been here and will go through until graduation. So, certainly very best of >> very attached there. Right. Absolutely. Thank you for that. And you >> I didn't graduate from here, but I always say I got here as quickly as I could because I've been here for 40 years. So, I came when I graduated from college and taught

125and married someone from here. There's 14 GCI living graduates in my family right now. >> And um if anyone ever doubts my commitment to GCID, needs to know that my grandson today is his first birthday, which I'm missing. >> Yeah, that's committed. >> But um >> he's in bed. >> And Donnie, she's related to the most people in GC. >> Is that right? The branches go way out. >> I don't think you can throw a rock without hitting Well, one one of these all these decisions and and I'm I'm not hanging on to anything. I don't feel like I have that all the but all of these decisions are very impactful personally to me because very personally impactful my family there have been some very fiery discussions in my extended family. >> Sure. as um

126they get wind of what is being talked about. >> Um but you know, I want to make the right decision and have courage to make the the best decision for our future because it it will require change. >> Yep. That's right. So, you've all got some type of vested interest in the district, whether your kids go to school here or you graduated from there or you moved from out of city, now your kids go here. So, a lot of vested interest and a lot of important decisions are at stake here, right? So, anything else on that? Would you fear for closing or not closing with each other? >> I guess the only thing I would add is, you know, as a as a graveine or Collieville outsider, you know, I we from an outsider's perspective,

127there was a um there was something special about the district that attracts people to it, right? And my fear is that that gets lost because there are families like mine who did uproot what our kids knew. All of their friends, our families to come to be here and to go to school here. And so that that doesn't come by very easily, right? There's some special sauce there that brings families to us and we need to continue to think about that because frankly it was the school district that moved this here. Yeah. What I've thought about that a lot too. Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks, in his book about how they reinvented the company, the secondary by line for the company is how Starbucks fought fought for his life without losing its soul. And

128I think about that a lot through these through these decisions that we're making. >> You moved. Your oldest was in what grade? >> My oldest was in third. >> How did she do in the transition? >> Not well. It was too old. >> Okay. I would say Yeah, but it was co I don't know that that's you know that's really a good gauge though. >> Yeah, >> every situation is different but they all are relevant. >> Sure. Yeah. >> Let me ask you this just as a way of to dig deeper into your question. So you moved here in your scenario because of the school is a big part of why you moved here% 100%. And there was a special sauce as you say, right? And I I like that term. >> What would change

129the special sauce if your fear of campuses closing came to a reality? How would the sauce change? >> Change? That's a good question. Quality. >> How so? >> Well, I mean, I don't know the answer to that, but quality. Uh, one of the things that I mentioned was there was a real attractiveness to our family. And granted, this is an anecdotal thing, right? It's there no data or statistics to support it, but >> we um there were some programs that were attractive to us here, especially for my youngest, right? >> Um there were it, you know, the class sizes weren't that much larger than what we were used to in private school. So certainly to save that much money, it was nice to walk into classrooms with 18 to to 20 versus the 13 14

130that we were used to. So it didn't feel like that much of a sacrifice. >> Um so you know there are a few things like that, but I do think those are going to be personal decisions that each family is what's important to that family. Um, and I really love the the small town feel of our schools where, you know, every everybody knows your kids' names, right? Even before I sat on the board, it was a a really close, tight-knit community of very invested, engaged stakeholders. >> Thank you for that. >> What else? I mean, I would I would I would agree. Um, >> but I I don't know that I have the fear of losing that. Like, I think that's that's what attracted my family when we we came during a growth period. GCI

131when we were building I think we built four new elementary schools and a new high school um and created a new middle school when I was coming up. And so I kind of went through what your district went through. I went went through re reszoning three times um through my time it got split multiple times but um each time that that happened and it it was actually something what I saw was that special sauce you talked about that love it actually it actually kind of grew and became a little bit stronger and so one of the emails I got was uh that we all got was a blast from the past um who graduated from college in 01 and it was like oh my gosh I haven't heard or thought of that name so we've

132been emailing you know what I mean? And so like they live here, but we had and so we started going back and forth and started sharing that. And so like that special sauce I don't think was it wasn't lost. It actually kind of kind of expanded and grew in some ways. And so I I kind of in a little bit of an opposite way, I'm kind of excited because I think in some respects you can get stronger being even smaller. Um and you can even get maybe sometimes more hometown feel. Well, the school might get larger, right? You might go from 450 to 550 or 7, whatever that that capacity might be, but I think you can get something really unique out of that um and built out of that. And I think you can

133also look at some of those lines that might get redrawn in doing this and see where you know maybe you were going to Heritage Middle School but now you're going to Collieville but then you go to you know you meet back up or you you know and I think that these groups can grow and become something um something better than before personally because I just I've seen another side of it. So I just I kind of I like that special sauce and I'm glad it worked and I think we can still do that. You know what I mean? I think we can still we would have to >> I think we can still do that and I think we can make something pretty pretty special. >> Well, and I think the special sauce is built

134around people, >> not buildings. >> That's right. >> No, I think it's the uh and it's also I agree the people, but it's also the reputation, right? The reputation that attracts people. It's not for um like a feel-good special sauce. It's the special sauce that puts us on the map for people to come live here. um >> and and choose us. And we talked about the competition. That's really what keeps me up at night is you have to you're in a world now where you have to compete. So that um the differentiators are important when you're in a sea of competition. >> But I again like I love competition. I think competition makes you better. Um, I think competition um, especially when and and I think we have some of the best staff. So, again,

135we have the advantages and I think we're going to excel through that. I I wanted to bring up something. You know, AJ brought up Collville Heritage the other day and or a few minutes ago and when when College Heritage came online that was uh that that was big. I mean that that >> rock we we we had uh teachers that literally volunteered to go to that school and leave like the legacy school. Uh there there was so much split up that that occurred. You had kids >> Oh, I I mean I remember that. It was it was >> remember that first class they got to choose where they went. >> Yeah. >> So then they got to like forge their way. >> Yes. >> Yeah. There were well but but there it it changed our

136district. It changed but but the special sauce to your point uh that didn't go away but that definitely changed the feel. We we now have arrival. We now have you know it's very it's very different. Exactly. So um you know it it again change isn't always you know a negative negative thing. So >> no and I I wasn't suggesting that it's negative. It's how do you keep the special sauce while you do all this and and being um deliberate about it and making sure that you carry those things forward in a way that is realistic right given the constraints. Um, that's all. >> I actually don't mind change. I But I like methodical change and I like it to be uh done very strategically and and timely. >> Where where's the fun in that? >>

137Excellent. >> What else? Any other feedback on that? Good discussion back and forth to hear that. A lot of you had a fear if you don't close campuses of the financial implications. And y'all may have done this already, but look at your next uh your next question in your in your packet and it says, "What is 6,215?" Why is that number significant? >> Basic basic a lotment. And you can times that by how many students are you losing average, Brad, a year about >> Oh, we're down I think what 220 230 this year. >> 230. So do do that on your exercise here. do 6,215. >> But again, that would be more had we not realized on the virtual side. >> Yeah. On the virtual side. And do do the number times 230. >> And

138then your your your ADA is about 94%. >> And so what is that number? >> Yes. If you continue market next year, >> what do y'all have there? 6215 * 230 kids times. >> So that's 1.3 1.343 43. So that's 1,343,683. Here's the kicker. That's without weighted funding, right? This is just B. This is just 30,000 foot view for the novice mathematician, right? And so we take our we have a financial boot camp. We take our uh TAC and CAC through this just so they can see. We don't try to get them into the weeds by saying, "Hey, did you know you got a special ed kid and they're homebound? They get 1.4% on the way." No, we don't do all that, but we show them just on a basic what this looks like. You're

139losing $1.343 million every single year over year over year over year. And then when you think about that >> and that's not even working in >> what it what it you know the maintaining of empty buildings or if you one teacher versus >> that's just that >> that's just just just the student portion >> and then you're and then the the light bulb goes off and you go >> well for every 10 students that we lose just rough math too there because your average salary 60,000 is that about right? >> Yeah. Well, there you go. Times 10, you know, and and so there's your FTEES. And so, you know, you're losing, you know, $1.3 million per year. I mean, that's a lot of money that goes towards your FTEEs or your full-time equivalents. And so,

140you got to be thinking through that as a board. All right, we're losing this amount. What does that look like for our attrition every year? And then what does that look like for our buildings? If I'm going down a building and I walk in X Elementary at Gravine Hollyville and the first door I look at it, it's empty or it's the sixth the teachers lounge, we know that there's a problem because we know we've got to heat it, cool it, clean it, provide security, on and on and on and on and it high costs that the community doesn't have any idea. Oh, you're just going to save a million. That's million compounding compounding FTE. So that's a lot of that's a lot of capital that you can put that 1.3 into something else. Right? So

141just as an exercise just so you can see that on the paper how much you're losing. This is how much you're losing minimum. You're losing actually way more than that. But that's just your basic funding. So questions on that, comments on that. Did you know that? Yall get a good idea on that? Good. >> Yeah. Yeah. Well, that that comes back to I think the one common thing was financial fear if we don't do this. Y >> and I think we've all seen our budget and >> some of us have night tears um over the like September and October surprises that we always we don't get a month into our budget without >> surprise >> and you're like please tell me that happens to you. >> Yeah. And that's why you have good planning for

142contingencies and you built that in the budget. Right. We do. You know, we call it expect it for change in every function. You put 2% in there because yeah, those things happen. Loop roofs leaking. Well, now you have, you know, we're we're 600,000 for that, >> right? How many 223s do we have where it's like, guess what? >> Yeah, it happens. >> Six months in without getting >> Yep. Yep. So, we've said all these things today tonight, but like I said before, the hardest part is removing feelings from it because we're all human beings with feelings and we care and you're going to and all your parents are going to come to you. You may have students in the school. It's separating emotion from the facts. You know your data. You know your community, you

143know what's happening. And now you have to take those facts that you know and make tough decisions based on that and the heat of whirlwind around you. And so focus on the facts would be my recommendation to you. Just focus on the facts. Here's why we're doing it, right? And it's going to be tough because you're going to have a lot of uh community members and maybe you I don't I haven't asked you that. I only want to know um that are going to feel like losing a campus is a devastating thing and I want to tell you just through you don't have losing an elementary they'll forget about it soon you don't have to believe me but they will I've had the ravaging parents they get very upset because nobody remembers an elementary 5

14410 15 years they don't even remember it was there we have elementary campuses all over our community that we closed that are now hotels that are now apartments that are bars And they don't even know it. They forgot. >> But the high school's a different story. >> Was that Was that repurposed into a bar? >> They bought it. They sold it. It's a familiar bar. I don't know. I was going to say >> that's a weird looking bar. Come on. Yeah. >> And it's right by our administration. It's interesting. >> Hey, that's actually we're going to sell a school to be a bar. >> To be a bar. >> That's probably >> That's great. That's actually that is going to happen now that we >> um so a couple board meetings ago um >> we

145have the president's report and in the president's report we did this history like we we did a threepart of like honoring our legacy and prepare equipping for the future. Okay. So we we had these three parts and it was interesting because when you look I mean our district is 150 years old. I mean it's old and Yeah. >> Um, and buildings that that existed, the names aren't the same. They're not located in the same place. >> Correct. >> And so it was one of those things that we were kind of just talking about laying the groundwork that >> um >> we've had lots of change. I mean, you know, we we've been in a growth. So what what we've known is is building new stuff, >> you know, and moving into a new thing that's

146bigger and and you know, we've never been in the now. Exactly. And so this is going to be new for for our district. >> That's challenging when you're in a recapture district and you're losing 32 to $34 million, whatever that is, every single year. Um, so we have money You know what I mean? So we have affluence. We have stuff, >> right? >> And so >> why are we having to sacrifice those things, right? And and so it's just unfortunately one of the >> predicaments that we're in in terms of that. But it it's just, you know, we have to overcome >> uh a lot of stuff to produce what we're doing and the programs that we're doing. and then still send off that kind of money. >> You know what I'm saying? So, so

147believe me, we're we're doing stuff efficient. We're doing things well. We're doing things at a high caliber level. Um, we're offering a lot of stuff and we're we still send $32 million. >> I mean, you see what I'm saying? So it it's it's a high bar >> which is great because you know that that's what we live amongst but >> um it's just one of those assets. >> Yep. That's right. >> What else on that? >> they're going to go Yeah. >> Yeah. Let's let's talk let's move on then if nobody has any other that's going to but you're always going to think about that during your board meetings during any committees you have about the feelings that go into the equation but try to focus on the decisions with fact it's it's difficult to

148keep saying that okay in addition to the facts that you're going to be discussing from from now till whenever y'all make decisions in the future it's important that you have a strong focus on what you're providing and I put this on here versus what they're losing, what your community is losing, what your students are losing, what your parents are losing, what are you providing that's going to be better than that, right? So, have you thought about that? Let's instead of writing, think through that now. So, let's have a group discussion amongst each other. >> Okay, I can give you a great example. Um, I think one of the schools that um is talked about in the our oldest elementary built in 1972. um the kids that are lead if they if that's a school that

149closes and they go somewhere else, one of the options for them to go to is Canon Elementary, which is our newest elementary built in 2019. Mhm. >> And for those kids that only know Dove, built in 1972, to walk into a building that was built in 2019, that's something that I think the students, going back to the students, would be excited about. >> However, we have a ton of push back on that elementary being the community. Everybody wants to, you know what I mean? >> Yeah, I do. >> There's a lot of history in that building. Yeah. >> And so from the kids perspective back to here's what you're losing, this is what you're getting. I even think uh from a parent's perspective, if you really think about it and that if that's where your

150kid ends up going and that's that's quite a huge I mean electricity was out at that building last week and it never came back on. You know what I mean? I mean that's a pain as from a teacher. I I I know what it's like to sit with no electricity. It's very hard and they did it for four or five hours, you know. >> Okay. I was thinking the electricity never came back on at all. >> They're still going style with this. >> I'm just saying. >> Yeah. >> What else is here? Some more dialogue on that. >> What What's your providing versus what you're losing? >> Maybe and maybe I'm maybe I'm ignorant in this. I I the I I think what what we're providing is is strength. I I think you're well we

151can get as a district leaner and meaner and and a little bit stronger. I also think um if when you have like we have you know elementary schools that are just slightly over 50% occupied and so when I think what they're gaining right is strength in numbers. they're gaining, you know, teachers that are going to be able to collaborate together where you have some schools that have a fifth grade class with two teachers. Well, now you can have four to five in that pod and you can you can build strength and collaboration. So, I think you're going to get in my opinion a lot more than you're going to lose. And so I the only thing I I feel like I get the the history of it, the elementary school part of it, that that

152love, that passion that everybody has, but I think you might be in my and maybe this is kind of that emotional attachment from it. You're losing a building, but you're going to the there's so much potential to gain so much more, so many more new friends, uh a different type of education, blending different styles together, different programs together, like the dog was talking about earlier, like to get something pretty special out of it. I think they're going to gain all the students in the community itself are going to gain so much more than they're going to lose. Um because I just and again that could be the ignorance part of it of just or the emotional detachment of it of I see I know it's more than a building because I you know there my

153daughter's in school so I get it's more than a building but in at the end of the day >> I just want her to get a good education. I mean if she does it out on the football field I don't care I don't care where it's done holding an umbrella when it's raining. I just want to make sure she's educated and she becomes um you know a talented young lady that's going to survive in life. Yeah. >> And so I think they're going to get I think they're going to get so much more out of this than they would >> ever. I agree with AJ on two things. Um and you're not ignorant. It's it's the um the for our really small schools, they're going to be able and and I love that everybody loves

154their school. >> Absolutely. >> Yeah. Absolutely. And so we are doing our staff is doing an amazing job in each of those and our our parents have created a culture. Some of our really small schools like AJ was talking about they're going to get so much more um than you can get when you have two first grade teachers or two kindergarten teachers. And you know some of our schools that are very affluent and very able to they feel like they can provide everything for for their kids through fundraising or whatever they can with just the strength of distributing our resources. Then we have some of our left schools that just their parents just don't have the time to devote. So we can join together we can be we can be stronger. Um other thing I

155had interesting I had a teacher tell me please consolidate some schools because they recognize the challenges and you know what we're going to get is capacity in our budget. >> Um will that be the challenges are going to continue. We're going to have to continue to look for ways to build capacity either through generating revenue or reducing expenses. >> But she she said, you know, I want you to be good with paying. >> Yeah. >> Right. >> I would like to continue to get a paycheck. >> So >> kind of important. >> Yeah. And that's I mean I don't feel like it's overstating the state that if we don't do something and start to do more than one something >> that that's >> absolutely >> a realistic field. >> Yeah. Any other feedback on that?

156>> Focus on what you're gaining, what they're getting versus what you're losing. And from our experience that that information has has held true with with uh when when we consolidated we found that we were able to consolidate good teachers on every campus because on some campuses what you'll find we have 14 elementaryaries you'll have >> 11. So pretty much a similar district. you just you're going to have some campuses that don't have as great of teachers as other campuses. >> No. >> Did you could you believe that? >> No. >> Okay. I know it's way out there. And so when you close one of those campuses, you can combine your talent. And so that's when we had Memorial and Legacy at two high schools. We ensure that each side had just as good as algebra

157one teachers as the other side does. So you can and you can through strategic staffing put those people there and treat them the right way. So to your point that's what happened in our district. We're able to ensure tell them early they have a job and then place them in front of students so that each student had an opportunity to have a great teacher in front of them and that's not always the case in every single campus or at least it wasn't for our district. I just Shan and thank you all for setting this up and for taking the time to come down here. This is a pleasure, >> really beneficial, but really beneficial. So, just I know I've said it a couple times, it just this has been a lot for all of us

158on the board and for the community. And so, just getting to sit here and whoever enjoys popcorn and a bottle of wine to watch board meetings. Um, it's just it's been really great. >> Good. I appreciate it has just hearing y'all talk and discuss is it just flashback on how my board talks through these things as well. Y'all aren't going through anything unique, but it's challenging conversation. So, thank you for talking this out. Let's go to the next slide and we'll kind of end it uh with our last two things. I always like scenarios. I'm right scenario guy. Uh and I think that it helps us really visualize the things that are coming down the pipe, right? One way or another. So, these are some some scenarios and I want you to group up since

159it's seven, it's an odd amount. If just y'all two, you three and you two right here will group up and each group has one of these scenarios. I'd like for y'all two to have the scenario that status quo not doing anything. We're just how we're doing it now. Y'all are status quo. You three are selected consolidation may just do one one campus. Just going to close it. It says close one campus and reinvest that savings. and you two are gonna have the comprehensive plan just whatever I don't whatever it is I don't work >> we'll need 30 minutes for you >> and so here's the thing we just come back tomorrow and finish up with >> we'll be here >> y'all have that that's your scenarios right and then you have these questions what are

160the benefits and challenges of status quo what are the benefits and challenges of just doing one and what are the benefits and challenges of of doing the whole thing right y'all each have all three of these questions. And then how would our community react to that? The status quo, one campus, the whole thing. And then finally, what information would we need to decide? What information you need? All right. So, we're going to take a little bit more time, five minutes, talk with your partner, talk that out, and then we're going to come together as a board and talk that through. All right. >> Go ahead. No, I mean I mean the people that are upset, >> you know. emotional detachment from it. financial aspects outuces two teachers on their way elementary [Music] everything. So I

161just see it as bad >> multipl of course we have to go back to the comprehensive question's difference and all of a sudden led to more foundational instability as far as the financial condition of the district. >> Like you want to seriously eat a Twinky day, you feel good, you know, next five minutes or so, but if you eat a salad, your body's going to be nourished for a much good instant gratification as opposed to is better discount I prefer the word passion here talking about this earlier his first election They don't know what he does. >> That makes sense. >> Um, >> that's a tough one to answer. >> No, I was just saying because like I feel like like we have, >> you know what I mean? Like I think we have a

162lot of information we >> So I don't I don't know. strategy. >> Yeah. I think obscure, right? I think like one and two kind of >> Yeah, they kind of correlate there. So I just don't know what information from the community. I guess I know some of the parts I think some of the things that I'm all over the final is what is that What is it? >> What can you do? people know that [Music] you know what I mean like I think that would be helpful too >> not everything right this is coming you know it's like >> what am I grabbing >> at the Okay. >> Yeah. Or if you're moving, you know, you're sad about all memories of previous house, >> right? Or whatever. >> Yeah. Exactly. Oh, this is [Music] >>

163comparison. Maybe they're sadistic. >> I think that a lot of it students are will be accepted into school. A lot of it is a sense of welcome. >> I don't know. >> I'm optimistic that he's one of the receivers by almost a person like a new opportunity because I do think that I think it's presented to them. It's an opportunity. >> Okay. About another minute or so later everybody kind of get back in. >> Yeah. Yeah, I agree. >> Let's kind of come back together as as a a group and let's talk about our guiding questions in relationship to our scenarios. Now, let's talk us through um if we just do status quo, what y'all what y'all talk about if we do nothing? What what does that look like from a benefits challenges perspective? Yeah,

164we whenever AJ and I were talking about I think that it primarily um it it we talked about it in terms of near-term benefits but kind of deferred challenges. Okay. >> The idea we kind of stumbled across an analogy about you know if you um eat a Twinkie, you're going to feel good for the next 60 seconds maybe. >> But if you you know if you defer that that gratification realize no I need to eat a salad right now or I need to have some you know I something more nutritious. And so I think that the one of the um things we also talked about is that there's a significant amount of overlap between the first and second questions. They're really even though they're just brief questions that they really are overlapping considerations. Um and

165that's what we talked about as well as how will the community react. I think that there will be in the immediate term or in the near term a sense of okay it's not my school like you were talking about that earlier Donnie. There's you were talking about in Witto Falls there's the idea that oh well we all know that we need to close the school but not mine >> which I think there'd be like this in this this near-term okay it's not going to happen but >> how would our community react and this is really what we as trustees are charged with how would the community react in five years in six years whenever a lot of the concerns that we have about the fund balance and other issues but those come to pass and

166we realize hey we were deferring potentially really difficult decisions. Yeah, >> good. Was there any more information? >> Sorry, I didn't mean to speak. I didn't mean to speak about those. >> No, no, that's fine. That was the idea. >> We we those are the things that we discussed and it was um he said a little bit more eloquently than me. Like one of the benefits for me is like no more emails. >> So winning. Um I won't spend 24 hours over a 3-day period because anyway, that's another thing. But what information would would we need to decide? It's kind of that >> um what I was chatting with Matt about is it's kind of that not necessarily we can get all the way down the road, but maybe what that next step kind of

167looks like to fully absorb it. Right? So you have school A and school B that might or school A is consolidating into school B or whatever it might be and kind of starting to build that. What can that look like? What is transferable to that? We Matt used the analogy which I thought was really good is like you know you move you move homes, right? you're moving one home, you're losing all those memories. Um, but Matt brought up a good point like what's the exciting part of going to the new home? Oh, maybe the new home has a pool, right? So, you didn't have a pool before and you're sad you're leaving this home, but >> we're going to this new exciting place with this new adventure that has a pool. So, I thought that

168was a kind of a good like >> we're leaving these behind, but what can we take with us and what new are we going to get? So, I think being able to get to that point where we've where some decisions have started to come to fruition and then planning out, okay, school A's consolidating into here. This is what this can potentially look like. And so, you you weigh that >> with analysis. Good. Love it. All right. Y'all had the second. >> We had the one school closure. So, we had a benefit with shared workload. >> Okay. uh quality staff, uh financial savings, uh you get to meet new friends, new opportunities. >> Uh the challenges were time. Uh one of the things that people have uh you know said is that we need to pause

169because we need more time, you know, short more time, more time. Um and then number five or the city. Well, we have an advertiserial city. >> Okay. >> And that is problematic. >> Yes, it is. Okay. So, what uh so how would your community react? >> Well, kind of like emotional. I mean that you know that you're just going to have you know the emotional side of it and I don't want to just because it is it's an emotional >> it's changes the routine. >> Yeah. >> Um logistics new routines loss of community. >> And then um what information will we need to decide plan and facts? >> Good. Love it. All right. They all have the comprehensive plan. So what are the benefits and challenges with that >> if y'all close multiple campuses across

170the district? >> Okay, so the benefits of of course it's creating financial capacity. Um you can avoid any unforeseen obstacles. Uh more thoughtful analysis which would demonstrate foresight. Um, for challenges, we put too too many changes at once that might uh put additional staff on uh additional pressure on staff. Um, how would our community react with Zodas? >> Um, well, that depends on our communication strategy. Um, so we couldn't really tease that one out. Um, they certainly would be apprehensive about the future. that they would anticipate personal impact and negative repercussions on their family and their children's education. Um, I'll stop. I'll let what info. Mary, do you want to take this? >> Yeah. And just Oh, yeah. Talk about the community. Of course, communication is important, but we recognize no matter how much we

171communicate, this is still going to be upsetting. People would still be apprehensive and upset. Um, information needed to make those decisions. um facility analysis, um anal analyzing the potential impact on student outcomes, um scenario consideration and planning and all the all the details that we have to go into creating a scenario. >> Scenarios, >> feedback for each other, what you just heard, status quo, one campus, multiaceted Agree. Disagree. >> Thought you'all hit it. >> Think so. >> Are there any reservations about doing something from anybody in here? And if so, who and what? Like in other words, does any of you as a team of seven board members team of eight feel like you can do option one which is nothing? If if so, let's hear it with the group. >> I can see that.

172>> What about you? Okay. I'm not meaning to put I'm just wondering did this to generate discussion, open dialogue. Is there a scenario in your mind where you feel like kind of you mentioned like not us we can just kind of let things just be as they are? No, I mean not I mean I think there is a discussion about time frames and when that decision the process and quite honestly conversations I've had with numbers of people. Um but no I mean I said this earlier like if you're subsidizing inefficiencies that is by definition unsustainable and time limited. You can't we can't do that. I think we're going to need help with going through the process >> because Matt, for example, we were already in the process. >> We were already in the process when

173when Matt and kind of down the road >> down the road on it. Yeah. >> Um >> I see. >> And makes sense. Um, in terms of process, I mean, you know, Dalia, I mean, you you were part of the picking two people and you never brought so the process you helped do. So, I don't understand where you have a problem with the process. You picked people, you participated in >> picked people. I don't know that I was involved in any discussions regarding how it would work. Um my biggest issue with the process is the lack of the things that you did in your um in your journey which is the stakeholder input which I've heard from so many people and it's not to me to judge whether you know it could have should have

174would have been but the the resounding feedback has been we know you have to close campuses. It's the lack of voice we've had in the process. We do not have ad hoc committees. We do not have teacher committees or parent committees or we have the committee which we each got to have two representatives on. Um my biggest heartburn is I don't think campus closures alone are going to overcome the fiscal mountain that we have and that has been my biggest heartburn. I think we need to do more more things. >> And what would those things look like? Do you know that? Have you gone through that? Like >> I do. I mean, I don't have my list on me, but um we're we're going to pitch you something after outside. See floy, see what you

175think if you're buyer or not. Uh but I do, you know, one of the things Brad mentioned earlier was we've been able to overcome some of the loss that we have experienced through I university prep. So >> you're saying there is a way there are ways that you can overcome challenges versus cutting. I come from a professional setting where cutting is only one part of the equation, right? The other part of the equation is trying to come up with ways to attract and retain students. um and just thinking a little bit out of the box. >> Thank you. Any other feedback? >> So where where do you think in that process that we're not like or where is that falling short? >> I I'm not sure. I haven't seen the recommendations yet. So it's it's

176you know there I haven't seen any comprehensive revenue driving um ideas with estimated projections. So if if the committee's working on those, I'm sure they'll come in. >> Again, the committee I I don't know that that was the charge to come up with dollar amounts. And um so in terms of generating ideas for for growth, >> generating ideas of things that we might be able to, you know, make some money on, those things are being talked about, but they won't be rolled out in this first wave. It's a lot to to do just what we're doing. So then you'll have a plan as to what he's saying where you have 3 to 5 years that this this is phase one, this is phase two, this is phase three. >> That's what we call it. Phase

177one, phase two. >> So that that's the way that I have envisioned it the entire time. I think I've even said those words, but um anyway, so that that obviously is the the because 1.3 million per campus isn't enough. So you're you're right. So, we've got >> we're gonna have to do a lot more. But >> see, I think this is just um just this I don't want to use the word phase because we use it differently, but the first phase and this see I do think it it didn't necessarily look maybe I think we do have an ad hoc committee all what he's talking about. They have a lot more committees at this point. So, we're going to have more committees as we get into the presentation and move forward. But this committee was

178charged with evaluating facilities, programs, and enrollment. Is that correct? And cover those three things. And so they're in my mind their recommendations are going to be related to those things. the recommendations for, you know, cost-saving measures as well as well as revenue generating measures, but that and I don't see that that in any way is going to be comprehensive. I think the board still is going to have work to do because like this committee is not charged with making up a specific dollar amount. Did you or like making sure that we're not in a deficit? That's not what this committee is charged with. Charged with looking at enrollment, facilities, efficiency, programs. So I think we as a board will have more work more work to do and more opportunities for committees and more opportunities to

179continue in the planning phase >> and in public education. >> That's just my my thought. >> Well to piggyback off that in public education I mean you guys have been through this right? It's not in any environment in any whether it's public sector or private sector that revenue generation doesn't happen overnight. Um IUP, Collegiate Academy, some of these other programs are actually massive drains until they're finally got to that break even point and then they become successes. And so where we're at a point and and I've had numerous conversations with tons of people. I've responded to literally every single email, correspondent and have phone calls when anybody is asked. The the the resounding issue is that we have an immediate need and we have a glaring obvious problem, right? We have have empty schools and

180a massive deficit and budget issue that we need to address. Those are your quick fixes. The the idea of building revenue is out there, right? We we've got partner corporate part partnerships with our stadium, right? We've got we just did bus advertisements. Like we're coming up with these revenue generating ideas, but it's not going to all of a sudden save or put $3 million back into our budget right away. We've grown IUP, but we also just had a massive hearing about the effects of the growth of IUP. And so, like, you can't have your cake and eat it, too. So, we have to make decisions. And that's what we're charged with doing. And whether it sacrifices your position as an elected official on the board or not is irrelevant. What's important is ensuring that we

181identify those immediate needs, we address those immediate needs, we continue to work together and have conversations to build out those phases as we go and to come up with those revenue generating ideas so that in the future as this continues to happen, right, we have a we were able to have that multi-prong approach. Unfortunately, we didn't have that coming into this and we have these immediate needs that we can address right away. And so that's what you know, again, like I said in the very beginning, two and a half years ago when I got elected, did I did I really envision um focusing on school consolidations? Gosh, no. No way. I focused on improving our educational outcomes for our students. That's why I got involved in this was the immediate need that I saw was

182our our children's education. That shifts, right? You got to pivot. And so we have to work through it. And so I think all these things can come true. And then once we kind of have a clear vision in front of us, right? We have all these different committees that come together and we build something like that where which but Dr. Schnops does a lot of this. He's involved in the community all everywhere. But some of these new ideas that you do, Donnie, are amazing that we can maybe make Brad work harder because that's fun to do. And so look at that face. Um, so we could, you know what I mean? like like some of this stuff some of this list has >> I do to your point AJ I think you you know sometimes

183in in any strategic plan there are times where you do have to evaluate pivoting removing things disagree on just adding you don't want to do that but have have our priorities shifted in such a way that we need to realign our workforce and our resources to be able to maximize, right? Because you only have a finite amount of people. They can't do everything. So to that end, it's important that we are all driving to the very same and highest priorities so that things do get accomplished, right? And so similar to the earlier analogy of, you know, kicking the can down the road on closures, I think Matt, you you made that in your in your scenario. I feel the same way about the other part of the equation and because I know it does take

184a long time to your point but there are some lowhanging fruit. I hate that line generally but there are right like going out and really we do have a community that is very generous that would probably pony up for some more sponsorships and we've started to do that but can we really go full throttle moving forward? I mean, $11 million is not insignificant. >> That's right. That's exactly. >> So, it's it's a balance for me. >> Yeah. >> Oh, no. Well, I would agree and I would kind of piggy back off um when you said when you have to pivot and you know, utilize our resources, right? And I think that's kind of what in in my mind how I'm visioning envisioning like the school consolidations is >> some of our resources are spread super

185thin and we have to pivot to >> build those those things back together. But I agree with you like um we have an amazing community that that gives and and we have the education foundation I think under new leadership is really doing some things out there. So I I think we're I think we're going to get there and I think we're doing a great job of trying to get there. It just >> it just takes time to build. >> It just you know >> I wish we could just do that community >> and focus right. I think when you try to do too many things nothing gets done. >> Sure. And so how do we how do we really hone in on what are the areas of priorities the mustd do rather than the all

186the things right >> likes to do all >> no I bet >> there you go what's dangerous >> can I just share something that I've read recently about decision making this is probably sounds obvious and may not it just was food for thought for me. Not that it was something that I've never heard or never thought of before, but when you're making a decision and we, you know, that's what leaders do all day long, right? Just make decisions. >> Um, you don't ever make the decision just because it's the easy way. >> You don't ever make a decision out of fear. >> We talked about fear. And you don't ever make a decision because it's going to personally benefit me. >> Just anything about those three those three little mantras. >> What am I doing

187here? I can't do any of that. Come on now. >> Yep. It's good. And that goes back to our values, right, that you listed there. So, okay. Well, for sake of time, let's uh let's go to our final thing here. >> So, what now? What? And you had that question about that earlier. It's like, okay, so so what? Now we're thinking about the possibility of some closures or some consolidations in the future. This is what just a quick sample of what this would look like. And I kept this with you so that you could have that. And this is what that basically what that looks like. And we can get real deep in into the weeds at a different time. I'll give this with Brad give them all the information. But you can kind of

188see if you you started want to make a decision and here we are in November because we we're in the states right now with with closing McNeel and Jefferson coming. You would start to have to do these things in November that you see on that list. you know, board approval for zoning, right? That's the big one. That's your That's your zoning. Uh, you know, reviewing busing with Do you all have contract with busing? No. >> Does he do your own? >> No. >> But you'd still review it. You know, you have to start reviewing busing that you got to think about. That's a that is a very challenging thing to make sure that you're on top of that. >> Everyone. >> Yeah. And they can have this list as well, but uh begin the process

189of attendance changes. uh reduce sped needs. We have specialized programs at divid. So if y'all as well so big time, right? And all of those things that what are your where does your LEAP program go? That's our autistic kids, your deaf heart and hearing or your base kids with behavioral sped needs. You have a lot of issues right there that you got to weigh through. Um you know then you got all these issues with uh your equipment and FF and on and on and on and on, right? uh your discussions with FFB with your principal. So anyway, you can see all those. I won't read all those to you, but this just gives you an idea on what our thought process is on on this and then all the people that are involved in those

190decision making processes. >> Donna, can I ask you a question? Certainly. Um I noticed in here, you know, something that we we've kicked around the idea and it happened when we went through the growth period of Cable Heritage and whatnot as well, like kind of a grandfathering in situation. And so as you guys have been looking at your declining enrollment and and shifting things and obviously redoing things I see like with student with students were you able what did your grandfathering in kind of look like? Was it a hey this is your path from fifth grade through secondary you can stay on that path? Or was it like a one time like you can stay where you're at but your next level whether it be middle school or high school is going to your new

191attendance? like was that how how did that kind of look for y'all? And did it did it work >> the ladder? So, we if they wanted to stay at their particular campus when we reszoned everything and it didn't match their feeder pattern, we still grandfathered them in there last year, whatever that was. So, fifth grade for elementary, 8th grade for middle school, >> but not their full feeder. >> No. >> Okay. >> Sounds like a transfer. >> Yeah. It's the same way. But we we told them this. if you stay as a fifth grader, you're not going to be with your peers, you know, because that's a different feeder pattern possibly. So, do you want to rip the band-aid off now? Get in your pattern. So, we gave the parents the choice and and uh

192on that and so we're giving them the choice now. But they're in their feeder now, though. You don't get to there's no we're not reszoning outside feeders now. So, we have these four elementaryaries are all feeding to the same middle school. >> Okay? >> So, we got them there, but they can stay in fifth grade. >> Okay? But they want to do that but their sibling can't. Right? >> So see now that poses a problem on the parent because now you're going to two different elementary school. >> So why would you do that though? >> Because here's the thing. If you say yes your brother can come. Well what about sister? And now we don't now we have to impact three kids instead of one kid. >> Sure. >> And it's it's a it's a

193spacing and enrollment issue. So that's why. And so >> did you look at >> because then here's the other deal. You know that they're in fifth grade. They get to stay brother's in second grade. Well, now why can't they stay third? >> Sure. >> Now fourth. You know, it just it just we and at some point you just get them. You got to rip it off. >> It just seems to me that I wouldn't have allowed it at all rather than said because it just seems potentially, you know, >> disingenuous. What parents really going to want? Will we open that up because some parents don't have two kids and so we want we want to give it to everybody and and some kid parents may have an elementary and then the other's in middle school

194and so >> um and so some that that's why that's the why again why behind it. You know an overwhelming majority of your parents don't have two elementary kids at the same elementary at the same time. A lot do but not most. Okay. >> Yeah. Uh it won't it please everybody but it pleases a lot of them because they love that they get to stay and fit now they finished >> right and so yeah we try to find win-win but I like that >> we don't always find it >> okay you look at December again January all the way and all the way through and I didn't there's some bullets that I didn't put in there because we can really get into the weeds and that that just gives you an idea of the amount

195of things that go into it once you say go right there's a lot. Um, and then your staffing decisions, your contracts, your letters of reasonable assurance, your probate lot. Okay. So, questions, comments, concerns on that. This is for y'all to keep and look through. Y'all have I'm sure y'all will have questions later. >> Just Just one back one back to all the different ad hoc committees that you guys have. Those that house committees were not the ones making the decision. >> No. >> Okay. >> They don't make any decisions. >> Well, when I say this recommendations based on which schools to consolidate and not or were was it like, hey, you've got option A, B, and C as far as the schools that were looking at consolidating >> feedback into that. Was that kind of

196it? >> Correct. Okay. It's it's always with parameters. >> Okay. So, >> you don't just open up everything. So the D so the district came in and said this is what we've analyzed this is what we think might be best >> feedback based on that >> multiple options. You don't just go here's our plan deal with it. You know it's like here's option A B C some of the recommendations from us and they can kind of analyze those and look >> and then the board ad hoc committee does bring a recommendation to the full board. >> Okay. So >> they did so that was just how we did that a way. Now, the community advisory council only gives us advice. Here's here's what we think. >> Don't close my school. Everybody else's. >> That's generally

197the >> So, you had one. So, you had one one committee that was actually making the recommendations to the board. >> The ad hoc committee did that >> one. And then you had separate committees. All the other 85 that you mentioned. >> We did three. Teacher advisory, community advisory, and our military engagement team because we have a camp. Then why I say the military for us is unique. We have a campus on base, >> right? >> We're one of the unique school districts in in the state that sits literally right there in the middle. >> So we input them on a lot of things. >> Yeah. Makes sense. >> So yeah, >> good question. >> Yeah, we >> Yep. That's right. >> But here's the thing. I want to conclude with this is that it's

198important. It really is guys that you stay unified. And we can all disagree. our board disagrees, but don't be disagreeable. You know, it's and and you know, you have the old expression with your fingers and you you're unified and it's a fist and it's stronger. It's going to be important through these tough decisions when everybody's going to be in your ear trying to fray you and frack you and divide you that you stay unified and that you can have these tough decisions behind closed doors and closed session and in an open session, but that you come out, you're you're a unified front regardless of what you do. Right? And so I want that's my challenge to you as I leave tonight. Be a unified team making very tough decisions for the future of your communities.

199So and thank you for the opportunity to be here tonight. >> Why is being unified important? >> Because there's a if I can give one or two reasons for that. If your community senses or feels like you're divided or not unified on such an important topic, why are they going to get unified on such an important topic? >> Exactly. >> Your own board members, your own board members don't even >> That's a great point. >> And you can disagree on it, but you got to be unified in the mission that you're going towards. And it's just like anything else. When you got a corporation and leadership begins at the top and they see weakness or fracturing at the top, the rest of your corporation is going to be weak and fractured throughout the entire organization.

200And y'all are the leaders of it. >> So you need to be unified in it. Do >> y'all have any comments? Anything >> for the fourth time? I think maybe. Thank you. That was awesome. It's great to learn, you know. That's why I love history. you get you get to learn from those came before you and and you know you're not learning from it you're bound to repeat it and so it's great to be able to I mean you guys should probably write a book >> I'm telling you >> what not to do >> right >> you know we um we were invited by multiple PTAs and several I think everybody here went to PTA meetings and entered questions and um kind of what we knew. Um so I think the question for me is

201and and unlike um AJ, I I I mean I I literally got up Saturday morning and that was my goal. I was going to respond to every email, >> but I started at 8 and 10:15 I I only had done 17 and I was like, I can't. >> Goodness gracious. And so my question is it's kind of like you if you respond right then you think you're answering them but sometimes if you respond they send something else back. Sure. >> Like so >> did your board members like respond to every email or how did they how did they get the message out without feeling I just feel like we're in a no-win situation. Right. If you copy paste because they're all sending the same thing, well then you get blasted for copy >> past. They

202put you in a group chat and say, "Oh, but even when I was a teacher, if I was saying, "Okay, Johnny failed because LA," then I would just say, "Copy paste. Sally fail because same thing." So a lot of the the letters that we're getting from schools, you can tell it's a coordinated effort, right? And here are the points that here's why my school needs to stay open. So, what did your board do in response to did your board get I'm sure got emails like we do. >> They got emails. Yeah. And I don't know if they answered every single one of them, but they just coordinate and answer them back as they could and offer those people an opportunity to be a part of one of our councils >> of >> Well, not 17.

203No, no. >> Well, but see then um No, the teachers that that sent me, I responded, right? I mean, I I've walked in their shoes. I get it, right? >> Yeah. I just am trying to figure out a more efficient way to let and I read everyone. I mean, and I I know that, but Mary and I talked about this because I I mean, it was really stressing me out. Like, I that was my whole plan on Saturday. I'm going to finish all this. I just couldn't. And I was like, I called Mary and said, "I can't do this. What am I going to do?" We were agree with you're paralyzed with it, right? You're paralyzed waiting for the recommendation. And the feedback I'm getting is people just want to know. >> Sure. >> They

204just want to know so they can plan forward >> and move forward. >> Yeah. >> But on the MPC side, I don't want them to rush. >> Sure. >> So we're in this place of >> paralyzed. >> Yeah. >> In action paralysis. How important was it to you to one of the bits of feedback we have been hearing is around specific campus representation and having at least one representative from each campus. Was that important to you or not? Because you talk a lot about emotions. So >> yeah, that was the purpose of our TAC teacher advisory council. So there there was one repres >> So that campus was representative by um by staff. >> Yeah. and I meet with them monthly and then we we put that as an agenda item. >> So that's an

205ongoing an ongoing thing. >> Yep. And so we always put the most hot topics or discussed items on the TAC agenda. >> Did you think the Yes. So the each campus selects their person to represent them >> for a year. >> For one year and so and I tell I take that we just changed that >> last year. Now it's our teacher of the year on that campus which is selected by their campus. So it's basically the same thing. And so now it's easier for us to >> identify quickly. So our teacher of the year is our TA rep unless they opt out and most don't but so they have there's representation. >> No, I think we definitely need committees and we need representation as we move forward into this process. But it's the initial

206like you know you said that y'all's ad hoc committee made the recommendation to the board of trustees and their decision and that's just the point where we are right now. >> Yeah. And you don't have to do it that way. That's just the way they is a way. >> Yeah. So >> Brad, you were going to say something? >> Well, I I just Are y'all do y'all have any more questions? >> Kind of want to add echo what you said. And so, um, Dian, I want to say thank you to you and your team for presenting at SLI because Diana and Dalia came back and they were inspired by your story. And so, then they came back and shared that with with us and our team. And then a few months later, we're having a

207couple hour, you know, WebEx meeting with you and your team. So, thank you. >> Uh, but then Shannon came to me and I guess >> she heard, you know, from you guys and like said, "Hey, what about getting Dr. Lee from Wall Falls?" And it just so worked out. This has been very productive and constructive just having this dialogue. uh and y'all may I don't know when there's been another time that we've had this kind of conversation across the the table the day whatever it may be and that was when you and I talked about the design of this and >> I just said hey let's anything to promote and service the catalyst for conversation get us talking and you did a great job in that so thank you my pleasure >> for the preparation

208and design around this we appreciate >> happy to do it so >> thank you My pleasure. >> Tomorrow, right? >> Yeah. Right. I'm driving 2 hours right now and then I'm headed to Austin in the morning. So, it is >> I have to add something before you leave. I apologize for inadvertently skipping the public comment section of this meeting. We don't have public comment. >> All right. >> Stephanie gave me a note an hour and a half ago. >> Thank you. My pleasure. Thank you all for having me. >> And you want to journ. >> Um, yes. What time is it? >> It is 7:54. U 7:54 in this meeting. It's adjourned.