Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD - Regular School Board Meeting - 3/6/2025

001good evening everyone I'd like to call this pre- meeting of the Carolton Farmers Branch ISD Board of Trustees to order at 6:00 pm on March the 6th the purpose of this pre-meeting briefing is to conduct a briefing session with administrative staff regarding the posted agenda for the regular board meeting scheduled for 7 p.m tonight for the record board members present are Tera herbach Carolyn Benavides Kim Brady Elana Gara roas we have Sandra Hatfield we have margerie Barnes and I'm Randy shackman we do constitute a quorum and will conduct business accordingly uh next item on our agenda is audience for guests no one signed up for audience for guests for this particular meeting so we will dispense with that and we will move on Dr Eldridge are there any reports by Administration so we have two

002items from our consent agenda and item 5j and item 5K um concerning updates to our policies um Tara are you you are you talking about the policies yeah okay on behalf of the governance sorry on behalf of the governance uh subcommittee um we have uh bdaa local um that was at the request of other board members um which outlines the roles and responsibility of uh board um officers or other policy Cassandra I'm going to let you address that one that you led that one um the other policy for consideration is EFA local which is um the policy for instructional resources Library materials and the purpose of the updates to that policy is to align it to AFB local um so that we have alignment between AFB and AFA on the timeline for um concerns from

003citizens that's all I question okay the only question I have and I I I read through uh the various pieces uh the um item 5K the EFA local certainly the it makes sense to have those two uh policies coordinated uh 5j is there any thought to why we're putting it in uh board policy as opposed to the board operating procedure um for you said for bdaa the roles and responsibility um we did talk about that and um there was already a local policy that had um officer responsibilities and I really just didn't want it duplicated in two places it just makes it administratively um I guess difficult or you have to remember to update po board operating procedures as well as policy if we change that so we went um with policy okay all right

004board members any other questions about any of that uh and thank you to the governance committee for working diligently on your various projects next up is a briefing session with staff regarding posted agenda items Dr ELD pull up consent of the administrative Contra yeah and that is what number yeah I am going to pull from the consent agenda 5f I'm just recusing myself in the vote on that standard procedure we've done all the every year okay board members are there any other questions about the consent agenda or well any other questions relative to this Prem meeting if not then I think we've reached the end of our agenda maybe a world record at 6:04 [Music] p.m. for e e e e e e good evening everyone it's 7 o'clock and I'd like to call the

005regular meeting don't know why that's doing that call this regular meeting of the Carolton Farmers Branch ISD Board of Trustees to order at 7 uh board members District staff uh all of you that are here in the audience you feel free to join me in standing as Michael con from Young Life provides us with the message followed by marjerie Barnes who will lead us in the pledge to the US flag and Cassandra Hatfield who will lead us in Texas flag so when I uh signed up to speak tonight months and months ago I did not know this would be a night of unique opportunities and I understand that it's a night for many of us that's pretty heavy on our Hearts uh I'm a parent in the district I'm a former teacher in the district

006I serve as a mentor now in the district a part-time employee a vendor I have seven different ways I can sign into a school and I know how hard it is for all of us to consider anything that might hurt our hearts and especially our kids' hearts and so my prayer for all of us tonight is that we can find a peace Beyond understanding a piece that makes no sense as we have to make decisions that aren't going to leave anybody Overjoyed because that's just the hard realities of life sometimes and so I pray that for each of us that we remember that everybody in this room is here to serve our kids of our community and that we are entrusted with that opportunity and even when we got to make tough decisions please know

007that we are so thankful for your sacrifice for your service of an employee situation and for your stepping up to serve your community and speak on behalf of what is what it's important and passionate to you if you feel led please pray with me Lord thank you that you can give us peace Beyond understanding thank you for those that believe in you that they can find hope when life doesn't make sense I pray that each of us can uh trust that there's something greater than just ourselves and be reminded that all of us have what's best for the kids in our view bless us Lord name we pray amen amen thank you you as a district we wa that as a district we dedicate all of our efforts and resources he me as a district

008we dedicate all of our efforts and resources to our goal of high Achi I expectations for all uh the board uses this goal to guide all deliberations decisions and actions you will get to see all deliberations decisions and actions of the board in Open Session uh with the exception of some issues which are dealt with in closed session there are none of those this evening for the record the board members present are terara Habachi Kim Brady margerie Barnes Carolyn Benavides Ilana garar roas Cassandra Hatfield and I'm Randy shackman we do constitute a quorum and make conduct business on behalf of the district before moving on to the next agenda item I'll will remind you that the board will accept comments from citizens of the district and from District employees persons who wish to speak during

009audience for guests have already completed an online form indicating their desire to see and that was done today earlier uh when we reach the agenda item number four audience for guests you will be invited to the podium and speak to the board next item on our agenda is special presentations and recognitions I believe uh first we're going to turn this over to Karen Rodriguez good evening president shakman superintendent El eldrige uh and members of the board um through our partnership with Chick-fil-A at Trinity Mills we are we are we are able to honor individuals who demonstrate Excellence with the CFB Champion award the March CFB Champion award is being presented to a group that I hold near and dear to my heart it is the cfbisd communications team for their exceptional performance at the Texas

010school public relations Association conference better known as tpra for the first time in CFB isd's history our Communications team was honored with a crystal con uh Commendation award this Crystal is one of the highest honors a school district can receive um as a school Communicator um as a professional School Communicator for public schools with more than 1,800 submissions made to the teeser awards each year CFB was one of only nine districts chosen to receive a crystal the team won for their Innovative early enrollment Fastpass marketing campaign led by Communications coordinator Amy Johnson additionally social media specialist Madison goset received a best-of category award for her social media e newsletters and a gold star award for writing we are so incredibly proud of this hardworking team who put in countless hours they are some of the

011hardest working people I've ever worked with and I'm so honored to be a part of their team congratulations [Applause] good job thank you m Rodriguez that's exciting uh next up is our president's report I'm going to defer that down to the agenda item uh which uh the report is about uh cons uh committee updates are next and uh Dara um I just want to report on some um actions by the uh governance subcommittee uh which is myself Miss Hatfield and M Barnes uh we continued our work on collaborative Vision 2030 uh review and and verification that we've um all been working on but uh we met on February 23rd we met on March uh 2nd and then we also met with Administration regarding strategic Priority One that we've already reviewed as a board um to

012ensure there is understanding as to uh our desired intent with uh the indicators and measures the meeting went really well and um we're excited to print present um final version uh to youall later uh in the year for approval uh we are also meeting uh tomorrow with the leadership team to review strategic priority 2 three and four uh to support uh the uh I guess more thorough development of those indicators and measures that we discussed in our last uh work study and then uh just as a reminder I would ask for everyone um for our next work study to uh review strategic priority uh five as well as the board operating procedures as that will be the topic of our discussion and development of um indicators and measures on those thank you um I serve

013on the uh as the board liaison for the district Improvement Council the district Improvement Council met on February 24th via zoom and during that meeting um I presented to the district Improvement Council that we would be bringing the CV 2030 updates to them um hopefully at the next meeting is our intent uh for their review and to provide us some feedback so we can get some engagement um from additional um people so that we can make sure we're fully getting support on that beyond the board and then they also received an update uh the district annual report a federal programs information uh Bond and facilities and then reviewed the calendar for 2526 which has been approved on on the website if you're needing the 2526 calendar as you start making plans and then a uh

014Tia or teacher incentive a lot um information update which will be exciting um to hear about the great updates on the Tia coming soon a quick update on the legislative committee I'm actually going to pass it down back to miss Hatfield because she has some exciting news about our house bill so um board members you're aware that in the 88th legislative session we work with um representative Konda timsh and she filed the bill on our behalf relating to the creation of a temporary educator certificate for out of state teachers and that bill made it all the way through the house into the Senate and got stuck in the Senate subcommittee and um we have been working with um authors from that co-authors and Ben gum Garner filed that bill um actually in November um right

015when you could start filing the bill he filed it and I'm very happy to report that it was read on March 5th and it has been referred to the public education committee and so this is a um really important bill for us uh we have teachers that come in from out of state that we believe are fully qualified to serve in our district and receive a full teacher salary but their way the system works right now it takes multiple months for them to get a Texas certification and it is really important that we honor and value the expertise those teachers have and give them a position in the district as a fully paid teacher and so we are requesting through this bill that the legislature allow a one-year temporary certificate while teachers work through the

016certification process we believe that is really going to help with teacher uh retention and teacher hiring and so um that is an update to the board we're very excited that it's been referred uh it does not have a date yet to be heard in the um public education committee but uh board members as you're aware you can go onto the Texas legislation online and you can add this bill to your alert list community would ask that you also do the same and as that bill comes up start to follow it because we really would like to get it pushed through um I am under the understanding that uh Senator Tim Parker also intends to um sign on as a sponsor on the Senate side which will help get it through and then we have several

017other Representatives um that serve in our district that are interested in adding on as co-authors so that's great thank you we appreciate the good work any Mr V thank you I was wanting to report on the Sha committee we um had a presentation for the weather guidelines and we're evaluating recess uh excuse me recess guidelines for the district as well as the district Wellness Plan and we are creating committee um for our backpacks we have a great concern about maybe damage and uh excess weight and things that are impacting our children so that's what we're working on great so for the finance and Facilities committee we met with Miss settle and we learned a lot about um Federal versus local money all the different title funding that we receive as a district um the noga

018which is the notice of Grant award um so we learned a lot of with her and I think we're going to review it all in our work study on Monday so excellent thank you very much anything else other committee reports all right our next agenda item is District announcements I'm will turn it over to you Dr ELD okay what a week we've had with the weather so I want to thank um all of our families for your patience um we we the weather was um really underestimated by a lot and um our student Nutrition department saved so much of our food when our electricity went out so I want to really thank our food Nutrition department because that's amazing they were packing up food they were taking it back to the freezers um so we

019didn't um we were able to feed the kids um but we were also able to to keep our food um very safe our maintenance department with the cleanup and our transportation drivers some of our transportation bus drivers were stopped at the train tracks because of the electricity and one of the drivers told me she was stuck for 3 hours and and she wanted to count how many people honked her but they couldn't get through but I think we underestimate sometimes the amount of operations that happens in our district and I just I'm really thankful for them um also good news um the Dallas Cowboys have sponsored CFB with our first time ever flag football girls flag football at our high schools um at each high school we had over a 100 girls try out and

020about 25 um from each High School made it and they had their big Jersey reveal on Saturday Dak Prescott was there and um you know everyone was trying to find to take a picture with him the jerseys turned out great um Bonita Crouch who is the um PE teacher at laita she is the US Women's national flag football team quarterback so she was there and everybody knew her so it was just great to have um I can't wait for the season to start this spring so that was awesome um at Creek View we had um Creek View High School had 12 students qualify for Nationals in both mock trial and moot court and they get to go to Nationals in July in Minneapolis and then on Saturday last Saturday um our PTA hosted a great

021event thank you Stacy and to your team um we had over 40 PTA local leaders and I know you'll give this in your update but I just wanted to thank you all for all your hard work that PTA does to support us so that's all I have thank you so much our next uh item on the agenda is our update from PTA and so I'll turn over to miss homman thanks Dr elridge president shakman and Este steam board um I'm Stacy homman I'm the president currently of the council PTA this is Diane ethd she's our treasur for Council PTA um as always we want to start with the PTA motto to make every child's potential a reality by engaging and Empowering Families and communities to advocate for all children uh I want to thank all

022the principls and PTA leaders who came to our spring training Extravaganza that Dr Elder just mentioned last Saturday at Newman Smith High School thank you to newness high school for loaning us your facilities um I think the training was a big success thanks to our first VP of leadership kivia Collins careful planning and the hard work of all our presenters and sponsors um if you still have questions for Council or want to learn about some of our open board and chair positions because we'd love you to learn about our open board and chair positions please um we have coffee with Council which is a dropin event this Saturday at Cafe Brazil up on Josie Lane they let us sit there all day and talk and they have really good coffee so please come it's from

02311:00 to1 just come in and out you can ask us any questions or if you have any issues in your PTA come ask us and we'll try to help you on Monday February 24th Council PTA sponsored a Busta Austin for PTA Rally Day um we we joined with thousands of other parents teachers and students from across the state to lend our voice to support all students and the right to a free and funded public education thank you to our advocacy chair petza for organizing our trip including meetings with some of our Representatives that were quite um quite interesting and quite successful please go to the Texas PTA website for information on PTA legislative priorities the council PTA will be hosting a Schoolboard candidate Forum in part partnership with AAW North Dallas that is going to

024be on April 15th at the Nancy Watton Center uh more information will be available on our website and social media I think we just reached out to the candidates and we're getting a mediator or moderator for the event and um please come out if you are interested in hearing about our Schoolboard candidates our big Community program for this year is Patrol stories it's coming on March 29th at the Creek View High School auditorium it promotes student safety by fostering a positive Community relationship with our First Responders tickets are on sale now at cfbisd pta.com we have great rewards awards for the most tickets sold by class and school and there are opportunities for VIP priority and general admission tickets information can be found on our Facebook event page and on the ludus ticket site this

025month we are recognizing one secondary school for the greatest percent increase in membership year-over-year and one Elementary School for achieving one of the greatest membership honors in PTA it's called voice for every child Platinum that means they have at least one PTA member for every student at that school this school actually has about one and a half PTA members they're they're working on doubling it and so that's a huge success um we have two schools that need less than 20 members to achieve this award so if you're thinking about helping out a school rosem meet Elementary and Kent Elementary are less than 20 members away from voice for every child Platinum it' be great if we can get them there as a PTA we're about 200 members away from increasing our membership from last year

026and we'd love to do that if you haven't joined PTA yet please do you can go to our website at CFB pta.org and you can join one PTA or multiple t ptas uh as a champion or individually so please come help us get those membership numbers up okay so for our Secondary School member increase award please join me in honoring field Middle School who has increase their membership significantly since last year we'll go outside of in a minute and for our voice for every child achievement um where they have like I said one and a half members per student and this is their third year in a row achieving voice for every child Platinum that's huge so please join me in congratulating Country Place Elementary School this is your official it later so that's all

027I have so thank you as always for supporting PTA we have one of the most supportive school boards in the state I will say that without a doubt with my working with different councils so thank you very much for supporting us always thank you Miss homman of course PTA is such an important part of what we do in this district for our students and our staff and we just thank you for all that you do at this point in the agenda that they've written in my agenda book uh pause the meeting uh allowing anybody to step out who is here if anybody does need to step out certainly this would be a good time to do that our next item on the agenda is uh a items for discussion non-action items and we have a

028construction update Mr Blackburn good evening Dr Eldridge president shakman members of the board have a brief construction update this evening um as we've uh said before we're proceeding with three buckets the renovations The Replacements and Safety and Security and this summer is getting ready to be really busy we're going to have construction at at least 15 campuses this summer so we're working hard to coordinate with campus staff to prepare them and help them uh be ready for uh what's going to be coming and I'm excited to share uh our first batch of special services Renovations at some of our campuses this is RO Riverchase Elementary you can see this is one of our new sensory rooms that we're really excited about providing to our special services um children and staff at Freeman Elementary uh more

029special services Renovations they're coming along nicely at Landry Elementary uh similar scope providing for special services then finally at ranchview high school as well some special services Renovations all of these Renovations are on track to be ready for fall of next year and they'll be able to enjoy those when the kids come back to school uh the bond fiber update um to improve the network across the district is coming along nicely as well um you can see if you look at the light green highlighted areas they're making good progress as they proceed around the district um one thing to highlight from this slide is that since the last update they've placed over 14 miles of new fiber so they're they're moving right along and then design updates at Newman Smith High School we're working through

030the design for the renovations at that campus uh we've met with uh both the students and with the teachers to get their input on the scope that's planned for Newman Smith you can see we're hoping to incorporate some additional natural light at that campus we're excited about that and provide some additional collaboration areas then also I wanted to give a brief design update about the um agricultural sciences and Outdoor Learning Center you can see that uh one section of the side is is used for agricultural sciences and the other is for Outdoor Learning this is a rendering of uh what it'll look like when you drive into the site with the new facility and there's a site plan of what the new plan uh we hope will look like we've been working through a lot

031of Permitting issues since most of this site is on a flood plane we talked to uh we're getting very familiar with Lars and clars and and FEMA and old city of Dallas ride of ways and all the process that goes along with all of those things at this site so it may be a little while before we get through permits but we're really excited about what the result is going to look like and that is all I have I'd be happy to answer any questions y'all have board members are there any questions for Mr Blackburn thank you for the update Mr Blackburn um I know you mentioned there's a lot of construction this summer how is that going to in back summer school we've uh been working with uh leadership and learning to coordinate where

032we've got major construction going so they know we basically red yellow green if it's red we really don't recommend you have anybody at the campus um but greens we've identified sites and I think they've got enough sites that they can accommodate summer school board members any other questions from Mr Blackburn Mr Blackburn thank you very [Applause] much the next item on our agenda is item four audience for guests persons who wish to speak for audience for guests have already submitted and filled out an online form anyone interested in speaking for audience guess uh will be given three minutes for uh their time to speak uh because the board wants to hear from as many as you as possible we want to keep the board the meeting running efficiently if there are groups of five or

033more who are going to participate on a particular Viewpoint it would be effective if they would point someone to speak on behalf for their whole group uh please keep comments and criticism civil and courteous uh please please avoid using panity and refrain from making any personal attacks on others during uh your opportunity to speak lastly we ask that you do not discuss any thing that is uh relevant to Children other than your own child U yelling uncivil or disruptive comments will not be permitted in the event that your comment in the Judgment of the presiding officer constit institutes a complaint or a charge against an employer or officer it may be referred to the dgb FNG and GF grievance process in our board policies in compliance with the open meeting act please note that the

034board is not going to respond public directly uh through the agenda items and as listed on the agenda the three minute timer will be shown on the screen in front of you and it will begin when you arrive at the podium to speak again speaker presentations will be limited to the allotted time our first speaker for this evening is uh Miss Mia serata I'm hope I said that president shman members of the board Dr Eldridge good evening my name is MIAA and I am here thank you thank you president Jackman members of the board Dr Eldridge my name good evening my name is Mia oh sorry okay is it on am I okay uh president shackman members of the board Dr Eldridge good evening my name is mios armetta and I'm here with my fellow

035sixth grade classmates at Perry Middle School okay thank you thank you okay president shakman members of the board Dr Eldridge good evening my name is Mos Retta and I am here with my fellow six grade classmates at Perry Middle School who have been together since kindergarten ncoy we are here this evening to advocate for a school that is far beyond a brick building while the district may see it may see M just an aging aging building to us it's a place that has given us opportunities friendships and lessons that extend far beyond textbooks we are here to share experiences that prove McCoy is not just a number one school it is a second home that has nurtured us shaped our identities and molded us into the best version of ourselves at McCoy not only do

036they have amazing academics but they also have excellent opportunities that teach Real World skills we have a dedicated music teacher who did a lot to teach us more about music through ORF and choir another example is when I along with 68 other student-led companies had the opportunity to participate in McCoy Market it taught us about entrepreneurship thanks to the dedicated staff and Mccoy's high expectations we have all had invaluable experiences at McCoy hi my name is Dana kangala and I believe that closing McCoy would be a disservice to the students and the community especially considering the invaluable monthly Cowboy Pride assembly each month exceptional students are celebrated for demonstrating exemplary traits such as kindness hard work and compassion the program motivates students to strive for excellence and develop lifelong character and Leadership skills McCoy Elementary

037has become a Cornerstone for nurturing young minds and I believe that closing the school would take away an essential resource that enriches both the educational and social fabric of the district and we must stand together to protect it my name is Ariana Madina and I believe that mcct TV is a one-of-a-kind program at McCoy as it allows students to build speaking skills and develop maturity for future life lessons mcct TV allows students to be on camera work with technical materials meet new people and serve as role models for their school student council is a leadership program offered at mcoy that brings students together to develop their leadership skills while identifying ways to benefit both the school and in the community student council members are considered role models for other students at McCoy hi I'm Di

038raiki and I believe that the closing of McCoy Elementary takes an immense toll upon the community of students and teachers at the school one special program that we risk losing is the esteemed robotics program hosted by miss ormandy our lovely librarian this program along with many others enhances our team building skills and sets us up for Success throughout the Middle School of our choice especially if we decide to choose robotics as a club we must take these F factors into consideration while making this decision my name is Talon Patton and I personally don't want McCoy to shut down because since I was an ORF I've learned a lot that could help me in band last year also students would also lose McCoy around the world last year 32 families represented 17 countries all seven continents

039in many US states thank you I [Applause] and I believe that that covers the both the uh so our next speaker would be James Baldwin yeah no Su ah okay so it would be suhana B I'm G to prounce that one wrong bishan good evening board members ladies and gentlemen my name is suhan balakrishnan today We Gather to vote on a decision that will undoubtedly leave a a lasting impact on our community the Clos the closing of our beloved elementary schools these schools have been more than just buildings they've been cornerstones of our neighborhood shaping generations of students fostering lifelong friendships and serving as a Haven for Learning and growth for our students these closures represent a significant disruption in their lives they will be forced to leave behind familiar classrooms trusted teachers and cherished

040memories to adjust to new environments this transition can be incredibly challenging ing for young children who thrive on stability and routine the emotionals toll of s saying goodbye to a place they've come to know is their second home cannot be understated and it will definitely take time for them to feel comfortable and secure in their new schools for parents and teachers the closure is equally distressing parents will face logistical challenges such as longer commutes altered schedules and difficulty integrating their children into unfamiliar communities beyond the Practical concerns many parents feel a deep emotional connection to these schools these have played an integral role in their family's lives teachers to are profoundly affected many have dedicated years if not decades to nurturing students within the walls of these very schools they now face uncertainty about their

041future roles and the Heartbreak of leaving behind a place where they've poured their passion and energy into shaping these young minds this decision ripples far beyond the physical closing of some buildings it disrupt the bonds that have been carefully built over time among students families and Educators as we navigate this difficult transition together let us remember the importance of preserving the community spirit that these schools have fostered for so many years the effect that elementary schools have on children in is vast and unending for example one of my fifth grade teachers endearingly called me suhana banana as a nickname and this is still stuck with me today and I hope it'll stick with me for much more closing these elementary schools will impact young minds more than we could ever imagine you don't get this

042kind of experience anywhere else being ripped apart from a community you've grown up with with before the time is due is almost cruel the future generation is worth much more than a building thank you so [Applause] much and now Mr James Baldwin hello my name is James Baldwin I am a fourth grader from mcoy elementary school if you can do the math you would know that during my prek and kindergarten years I was virtually schooled to the pandemic putting me behind in certain social skills so when I went to McCoy feeling good about myself and about about um third grade I went to fourth grade and like felt content until I learned that I might have to be transferred to a different elementary school and then another one after that well technically not another elementary

043school but just a middle school but yeah so I might join my friend in a private school because she only has to go to one school all the way up until college but I don't want to do that because I really like McCoy and I think it should stay Thank [Applause] you thank you our next speaker is Chris Angel Lopez Ruiz de cfbisd my name is Chris Angel Lopez ree I was a former student of Central Elementary now I'm a Parry student but I have a few things to say Obviously um I know you are closing schools including the leap kids where in McCoy but you have to understand it might do good uh for you since um uh financially right but what good would it do for the kids kids that want to learn

044um going to a different District separating from their friends adapting to a new school if you want to be a successful District you have to think of the students first it may not be the richest but um it might not be the richest or it might be the poorest but the but the kids are still getting their education they're getting friends this is Carolton spirit and if you close schools it is doing harm just like how cells in a human body you know how cells die off in a in a human body in seconds right well if it gets replaced it will never be the same but you know what's worse than getting replaced never getting replaced at all and if it never gets replaced then the human body will soon die off right so

045um I hope you understand how much harm this will cause if this is official thank you thank you thank you our next our next speaker is Cassandra Garcia Hernandez superintendent Dr elridge uh president shackman and board members and my fellow community members I just drove in from Austin because I knew I needed to be here with you all for this very important meeting my name is Cassandra Garcia Hernandez and I have the honor of serving as State Representative of house district 115 which includes the school districts of Dallas ISD Irving ISD Capel ISD and our very own carolon Farmers Branch i d most of my districts are recapture districts including Carolton Farmers Branch i d which send massive amounts of money to Austin while operating under deficit budgets Capel ISD Dallas ISD and CFB ISD

046operated under a combined deficit budget of 169.74 and 2024 and sent a total of 205 million in recapture to Austin this year and combined our are uh operating under a combined deficit budget of 23.7 million which has translated into all of them having to close schools consolidate and cut programs lay off teachers and make tough choices to make sure they fulfill their duty to be financially responsible with taxpayer money and not bankrupt our school districts due to the failure of our Texas legislature for insufficiently funding our Public Schools I do not envy the gut-wrenching decisions all of our school boards are having to make including yourself due to no fault of your own and I'm sorry that you that all of you not just you but everybody behind me are being put through this position

047no Community wants to see school schools closed and I know I know like the other boards across this state your trying to make the best decision for our community with the lack of support from the capital over half of school districts in Texas are operating in the red currently this isn't a district mismanagement issue it's the failure of the Texas Leadership to fulfill their Duty under article 7 of our Texas Constitution to sufficiently fund our neighborhood schools I'm a proud product of public education and I will never stop fighting for our schools our teachers and staff for our children and I could use all of you in this fight because current proposed legislation will not address our budget shortfalls in all over our state especially here in Carolton Farmers Branch we will find ourselves back

048here making even more Cuts if we don't continue our pressure campaign to fully fund our schools and say no to voucher scams so reach out to me everybody on the board and everybody behind me reach out to me to find out how you can help and let's get our school board the resources they need to save our schools thank you m [Applause] name ruli matur is our next speaker good evening president shakman Dr elridge and the members of the board my name is Rangoli Mur I'm a 21e resident of cfbisd I have um a seventh grader who just spoke suana and I have a four-year-old who I hope can go to McCoy the vote to close four schools is a complex and difficult decision but from the perspective of the CFB ISD board members they

049are really two issues or aspects to weigh in on the first aspect as elected board members you all are official representatives of the people of cfbisd school district you all represent us our voices our concerns your voice and your vote should be representative of our concerns and our voices this is not to say that tough decisions cannot be made or should not be made however as elected representatives it is crucial that your community feels engaged through the decision process and has Clarity on why this is the the only decision that we arrive at with the number of requests for information the number of calls you all have received the emails the protest it is clear that the community does not feel engaged the community does not see how the projected savings add up we cannot

050see what other options were considered and could not be availed we find inaccuracies with data like the Farmers Branch councilwoman who called out that the single family and multif family home projections were incorrect 4 weeks from proposal to this day of voting are not enough as elected representatives of us your responsibility is to level with us I ask you to vote no today so that the board the district and the community has time to engage with the community and review the data your second Allegiance is for the district Vision creating an exceptional Learning Community for all multiple Studies have found that closing schools has heard students and their educational success for years the facili planning proposal used four criteria of cost location condition and utilization that did not include exceptional learning the effect of on

051exceptional programs like leap the exemplary track record of schools like McCoy okay that is your time please thank you I would like that you take this time to consider and vote no thank you thank [Applause] you Mr Brady Barnett uh my name is Brady Barnett uh Dr Eldridge uh president shakman esteemed members of the board uh I asked the board two things tonight one separate the vote uh the proposal consists of four distinct recommendations for campus's consolidation as four separate resoning recommendations that's a quote from CB cfbisd website Mr Blackburn presented to the board on February six this year four separate recommendations as follows the Creek View High School feeder pattern the Newman Smith feeder pattern the RL Turner uh feeder pattern and the Middle School recommendation uh then came for individual family information sessions

052uh I ask that you amend the individual consideration amend for in individual consideration and vote on each as presented that is how other ISD have done this including Lewisville ISD and Richardson ISD I ask that you do the same uh second suspend the vote on McCoy Elementary uh as you heard from uh Miss Hernandez uh across the state schools are operating in the red McCoy is not one of those schools McCoy is in the black it's a net zero gain for the district you can eliminate it from uh this proposal without any effect back to however you're calculating your savings uh McCoy has a strong enrollment a sell attendance a high performing students uh and a remarkably tenur staff in other words McCoy is a revenue generator and an economic driver the school's high ratings

053and the school's high performance is a major draw for the district many folks here including me purchase homes specifically to be in the McCoy attendance Zone in review of the demographic study by Passa the findings consist of historical data and projected data Pasa and the Consultants from walper both show positive enrollment Trend over the previous 10 years uh then pass it goes a step further showing the current Elementary attendance zones along with the projected enrollment under the 10-year enrollment scenario again the McCoy attendance Zone sees increases in enrollment during the 10-year projection period uh I want you to remember 355 that is the 2026 projected student population of the McCoy attendance Zone uh it is not feasible not a feasible option to put our kids in unnecessary danger uh steam members of the board this

054is an opportunity for you this is a defining moment tonight you get to send a message what will your message be do you fortify student achievement academic Excellence do you affirm principles teachers and staff who Excel year-over-year do you wel welcome and encourage involve parents in ptas this is Def that's your time when a defining moment comes along you either Define the moment or the moment defines you thank [Applause] you Miss Candice Valenzuela is our next speaker I'm G to take a page from my kids book uh good evening president shakman superintendent alridge esteemed members of the board my name is Candace Valenzuela tonight I speak not only as a mom of a McCoy student but as someone who has served this District long before my children had the opportunity to attend living in this

055district has always been a source of personal Pride for me I've turned down job offers that would require me to move because I believe that cfbd is my children's educational home you put your our children at the center of your decisions so I am here in good faith so I have a request uh and I've got three key points uh to support this request and my request is that you postpone any vote to V to close close any school for next year but I'll start with McCoy uh we have to address the financial constraints that you all are facing and Mccoy's Revenue has been crucial to the district the funding generated by McCoy doesn't just stay in one school the funding that comes from the tax base is used rightly by the district for the

056district and McCoy hasn't actually gotten a lot of updates and parents are still clamoring to get their kids into school uh people are still paying tens of thousands of dollars over asking and I know it shouldn't all be about the money but this tax base directly affects the revenue of the district and when we think of these 70 outof District transfers uh with their state allotment coming in it's almost half a million dollars a year so it is really really critical that when we are looking at numbers and we have a we have a student body that has increased over the last couple of years we also have to think about the fact that this this school has been a MAG for other students coming in from other districts and for people within the district

057who might consider private school they look to McCoy as the standard for their children uh another thing I'm going to say just speaking from my personal experience uh during the 2018 steel and aluminum tariffs uh I witnessed firsthand how districts across the state with greater Financial challenges than CFB so less responsible than us had a lot of problems continuing and finishing construction we are about to face the exact same percentage of Steel tariffs tearing down buildings right now is not a great idea even if you happen to close the school my God think about renovating think about renting it out closing closing these buildings uh is just throwing money away our District's money our children's money our taxpayer money uh and finally I'm going to urge you to really take another year uh to discuss

058potential closures we're we understand that tough choices have to be made but we need better Community engagement thank you so much have a great [Applause] night thank you Miss Valenzuela uh Mr Brian marrow oh forward because I don't want to have to turn pages but hello Mr President and uh our board thank you very much for your guys' time over the last couple of weeks uh I don't envy you guys today it's going to be a tough vote uh I like to tell my clients in uh my Consulting practice that no data is better than bad data bad data leads to bad decisions however no data allows common sense to Rule the Day Common Sense seems to be uh discounted lately our board is faced with a heart-wrenching decision based on bad data I asked

059this body to use common sense tonight again thank you for your time the last couple of weeks thank you Miss and Mr morsh hope I pronounced that right okay thank you for your time yesterday unfortunately I still left our meeting with unanswered questions regarding the foundation school program Ledger and the district's financial position these unanswered questions May mean the difference between a budget surplus and a budget deficit I spent 20 years forecasting revenue for Fortune 500 companies I provide Professional Services as a data analytics consultant and I'm also an attorney I am uniquely qualified to evaluate the isd's revenu projections I've read the law I spent the last three weeks read an ad code our isd's Revenue projections are very conservative very conservative maybe too conservative our fsp Ledger contains bad data which the district

060used to create the budget our discussions yesterday I was able to True up last night so I Ted up I built a forecasting model for our district I sent to doubt at about 2:30 in the morning so I apologize if I'm a little Drey but I still have questions about where our money is how we get funded why that funding doesn't match in The fsp Ledger the system which we have to use to get funded as trustees you are Duty bound to vote under Texas Education Code section B9 if you have unanswered questions regarding the isd's financial position please use your common sense don't let bad data excuse bad decisions please vote no on consolidation tonight thank you [Applause] Rosie Ramos okay have to jump um it is what it is um okay so I'm

061G to read really fast otherwise I might start cracking jokes um so members of the school board community members and colleagues thank you for the opportunity to address you today my name is Rosie and it's good to see some of you guys outside of the community in which I met you you may not remember but I've met some of you on more than one occasion my family frequently orders from one of your businesses another one of you I met during a stakeholder meeting while we toured Dallas Casa a third one of you I met at Josie Ranch Library as you men a ladybug hat craft table during the initial phase of your launching of launching your campaign it's not important whether you remember me but is important is that I remember you and I voted

062for you because I saw how active and boots on the ground you were to work for our communities and I'd like to give a shout out to the fourth one of you and the only one who took the time to reply to my email that included 107 mostly handwritten Letters by our Central Community by which I hope you actually read or take the time to read however I stand before you not only as a concerned parent but also as a well-educated member of this community who has worked tirelessly to serve the people and families who call this area and the greater DFW home I'm I'm a privileged part of vast networks including the not limited to the National Association of Social Workers Lambda Theta Alpha La Incorporated amongst others all of which include leaders in

063various Fields who share concerns and who are closely watching the decisions you make regarding future the future of our schools and although I'm not here to provide you my biography I do want to very humbly remind you and all elected officials in this room or watching this that you're sitting amongst other respected Community leaders some of which are busy building more leaders and or may just not have an elected or official title yet but I digress we're still a team I speak today with you with a heavy heart as I understand the pressure to make decisions that you believe are in the best interest of our community however I do ask each one of you to reconsider the proposal to consolidate our schools as someone who spent much of my time advocating for the betterment

064of our community I cannot in good conscience support a plan that I believe will ultimately harm our children our Educators and our future consolidation at its core may seem like a reasonable financial decision but on this on the surface but it's far more complex our schools are more than buildings they're the heart of the community they're places where children learn not just academic subjects but life skills compassion and how to be active participants in society it's where friendships are forged and where our future leaders are nurtured and I say that as a former leap student from mofin who then went on to be our alterner senior class president 2008 consolidating our schools May save money shortterm but at what cost Central has a number one AVID program in the district and this consolidation would funnel

065our kids into two non-avid schools as an immigrant not a first gen actual immigrant who didn't have college as the topic of conversation in home when I was little Abid would have done wonders for my exposure and the importance of hire Ed and although I hold a master's degree because of was how much my teachers and counselors instilled it in me I actually might be running for federal office and giving Federal Administration or run for their money if Avid had been around when I was young so why take that from under our Central kids feet why take troublemakers away the only Elementary Ensemble group to have performed at the Texas music educators Association in in San Antonio all that to say is um there's a lot of things that are going into this and we

066understand that but make us a part of this decision um because we also don't want you to bend at the knee of the state and federal Administration so please just make us part of this decision [Applause] making Clifford Hinson I thank the chair for its recognition you have heard and will be hearing from many parents who will explain why the delclos of McCoy Elementary is part of an Omnibus consolidation proposal is unacceptable from many standpoints I speak to emphasize that passing the current proposal and fo including the closure of McCoy Elementary at this point without F without delay and further discussion will open the district up to unacceptably high levels of litigation risk and expense some of the cost assoc associated with this litigation will be borne by The District's insurers but others will be

067borne by the district particularly as it relates to the disruption of business and even by some of the B the trustees and administrators personally who will be involved in the discovery process even if uh never personally named in a suit uh and not subject to any risk of adverse judgment you've already heard from parents who were dissatisfied with the data that was collected and the way in which it's been communicated the first source of litigation risk arises from the fact that CFB has not met its legal obligation to provide important information in uh in open records requests that sought the transpar into transparency in the decision-making process that CFB has to this point failed to provide and communicate the Texas Attorney General's office has taken the position that petitioners are not required to await an

068AG opinion on open records request before filing petitions for mandamus that means the district could be forced into a position to address the AG opinions and the mandamus mo uh suits that are filed simultaneously uh which will drive up the legal expense and disruption for the district and when the parents do get the information that they seek will almost certainly include information that can form the basis of future legal proceedings the second source of litigation risk arises from the closure of a higher performing ethnically diverse school with a preponderance of Asian students and dispersing the students to three lower performing schools all of which are racially monolithic with and had none of which have any meaningful asian or black pop uh student population at the time this is going to open the school up to

069claims under the equal protection Clause of the 14th amendment in title six of the Civil Rights Act claims of discrimination against High performing Asian students have been enjoying a good deal of success in the courts recently and in this case the district would be vulnerable not only to claims from uh parents of both black and Asian students whose CH uh whose parents do not want the uh children to face the stigma of tokenism uh that they would face at these new schools but do not face at McCoy but also with Hispanic students who don't want to attend what amounts to a uh segregated uh schools but are being forced into them while the ability to freely select other schools of the district the open transfer policy may have insulated CFB from these sorts of claims

070in the past the closure of schools to achieve the high occupancy targets the district outlines and the accompanying transfer policy changes that the district is making as a result will leave this uh transfer policy a much weaker Shield than it has been in the past thank [Applause] you yenia Gonzalez Tasha next all right good even good evening everyone I stand before you today not only as a representative of Central Elementary but also behalf of the other schools impacted by the prop post consolidation our institutions have fostered strong communities buil through the dedication of our staff and teachers um I will say Central Elementary has served our community for over 60 years and the prospect of losing this cherished institution is deeply concerning as a former student who had attended Central from prek through fifth grade

071I cannot express how TR troubling it is to consider the loss of a place that that has been a Cornerstone of our community many of us have fond memories of the teachers and staff who have been part of our lives for years we must ask ourselves how can we take this away from them this school represents ju not just a building but a significant part of our children's lives and growth our children have taken the initiative to write letters to you expressing their desires to keep Central Open I urge you to consider their voices in this matter furthermore I would like to address the financial commitment that were previously made regarding the rebuilding of central we must question why our students should bear the consequences of decisions that appear to have been poorly planned such

072as the construction of multiple elementary schools within close proximity to one another had these decisions been made with more foresight we might have have we might not find ourselves in this current situation of low enrollment Central has consistently maintained a strong enrollment numbers over the years and is disheartening that that we are now facing this challenge I encourage you to reflect on how you would feel if this were happening to your own Children's School finally I urged the board to consider how proposals are presented to parents and the community the last meeting felt dismissive and did not reflect the care and consideration that we all wish to see in our educational system thank you thank [Applause] you let time Moore good evening to all of you are you able to hear me okay all right

073so you all have heard from parents of McCoy Elementary I'm a mother a proud mother of an amazing third grade at McCoy and so you all have heard from different presid presentations on data you've received emails phone calls and thank you all um some of you have who have actually sat down and met with some of us to hear our concerns so it's understood that you all have very important decisions to make not just involving McCoy but many schools and so I offer to you tonight A Prayer of unity community and wisdom so if you would join me you can bow your hands father God we come before you and we ask for wisdom wisdom for this board Lord that you will guide them in the decisions that they have to make tonight and Lord

074we pray that you would give them wisdom that can only come from you and Lord that you would allow your holy spirit to guide them as you see fit and Lord for even those that are on the fence Lord I pray that you would give them your peace and Lord for the students that may be impacted by the transition may you continue to strengthen them and provide every single thing that they stand in the need of Lord allow them Lord to be in environments that allows to be everything that you purpose for them to be and Lord even for the staff the parents and even the community that would be impacted Lord may you open doors for them may you guide them in every way and Lord most importantly may you allow us God to

075lean not to our own understanding but in all our ways may we acknowledge you and that you will direct our paths in Jesus name we pray amen and thank you [Applause] Latasha thank you very much uh Stacy Tibbits hello thank you board uh thank you president chman and thank you superintendent elridge I had a speech today about minutes and then I started looking at the numbers and I started and I looked at the conversation thats on February 1524 and I got kind of worried because I wasn't sure what number she had I don't know if you have 2023 before annual comprehensive financial report but each year um until 2023 I'm sorry until 2024 the numbers are consistent of capacity for the students or for each of the schools and they also have the enrollment numbers

076but on 2024 they go down some of them almost by 100 and I don't know if any of you have taken a look at that the discrepancy and I don't know if W use 2023 data in order to which schools that they were going to close because even after I looked at that I started looking at the deficits of each of those schools that for the schools that closing and the schools that were going to them and there's not enough space to for the4 numers I don't know if you guys have Tak a look at that and if you haven't then maybe we should take it to do also um I'm kind of concerned that presentation that wber had given is not available I could not find it on the site I found the minutes

077I found the overview but I couldn't find the PowerPoint presentation and I found multiple PDF copies of uh the proposals um but it and it had some of the data in it that was talk or discussed on February February 15th meeting but um I don't have and she also mentioned a spreadsheet in the in that meeting about and that dat also is not available so if for just for the sake of transparency no matter how you vote can we at least get that data I think that might think and yeah the the uh the schols that are going to absorb you I don't I don't know how how they came up with the numbers and also the utilization I know that she discussed the utilization based on um services that were available for schools but

078even if you looked at capacity versus enrollment and how many how many each of these schools can take uh like how you came up withco doesn't make any sense it doesn't make sense to so thank you thank you miss Iris Moore is the mic is off right there we go good evening my name is Iris Moore and I have a kindergartener in McCoy Elementary I bought my house near McCoy because despite what some of you may say it is the the highest rated School in Carolton Farmers Branch ISD it ranks in the top 2% of all schools in Texas it has been nationally recognized as a blue ribbon school not once but twice it is not just a great school for my family it is a pillar of Excellence for the district and state today

079you face one of the most consequential decisions of your time as public servants I am here here to urge you not to close McCoy Elementary because the right thing to do for this district is to keep its best schools open anything less is a disservice to our students our Educators and our community parents have spent the last 28 days pouring over details for this proposal and we found at least two versions of enrollment projections two days ago at the Farmers Branch city council meeting council member Tina sen bur Burton told one of our many assistant superintendents Chris Moore that his housing projections were substantially different and she's right the entire process has been filled with contradictions inaccuracies and unanswered questions where is the accountability The Proposal does not stand up to scrutiny and we should

080demand better we've seen other schools and districts like in Orange County North Carolina listen to their Educators and push back on wolpert's claims if other parts of the country can question the numbers and challenge flawed proposals so can you this feels rushed why are we voting on closing schools instead on voting to sell or lease empty lots and vacant buildings the district is proposing a short-term budget fix that comes at the cost of our children's future this feels uncomfortable because it's wrong and if something doesn't sit right we need to trust our gut perhaps some of you are being told that sighting with McCoy Elementary would look like a political move but if you're voting to stay in line in the words of Oprah were you silent or were you silenced and if you can't

081stand up for an award-winning School in this this District then what do you stand for cfbisd does not belong to the District administration it belongs to the people if you vote to close McCoy today you're sending a message you're telling every parent every teacher and every student in this District that achievement doesn't matter that money matters more I urge you to motion to divide the question so that each school is consider separately and when you do vote to save McCoy thank you for your time thank you Miss [Applause] Moore Courtney laugher good evening my name is Courtney laugher I live in the McCoy neighborhood I am the parent of two leapers and one incoming jened McCoy Cowboy I maybe naively had a lot of faith in this District before four weeks ago however I've been

082hurt quite a bit at the Smith meeting I showed up hoping to get answers and instead we were silenced and filibustered and that hurt and it was wrong I then went to the leap parent meeting to see 10 plus armed security guards card s for I don't know maybe 100 people that hurt and it was wrong to give families four weeks to entirely change our daily lives and possible Financial Futures due to moving that's wrong and it hurt to push to close a school that is the highest ranked in the district according to the district itself that hurts and it's wrong to go against tea recommendations where they recommend closing the lower performing schools and moving those students to higher performing schools and to go against that it kind of hurts and it's wrong to

083rip a community aart that is Unified one that Bridges the gaps in education that provides a safe nurturing environment for anyone who enters the doors that's wrong closing four schools in the hope that you sell one to make some money when you have three or more empty buildings that you could sell right now to get some money that's wrong to ignore the inaccuracies and incorrect data being used to base this decision on that's wrong to Market a school bond saying it would rebuild Central and majorly renovate McCoy only to use that money to justify closing those two schools that's wrong to close four schools when the District administration jobs have increased 45% in the last two years that hurts and it's wrong to rush this decision when you have been told by your own Consultants

084that there is no rush and we have time to make a better qualified decision rushing that that's wrong your duty is to function for the will of the people I really urge you give us some Faith back do the right thing tonight be a representation for all these people who have spoken before me and will speak after me please do the right thing vote no today wait give us a voice get the data right audit it and then come back after you've gotten some solid Community engagement please do the right thing [Applause] in order to keep the meeting flowing can we please stop with the effusive evocations of cheering Etc if we can just be in you know little Applause I've allowed that it's getting more and more uh I don't want to ask security

085to remove anybody so please let's our next speaker is Nova broom good evening president shakman superintendent Eldridge and members of the board my name is Nova broom my relationship with McCoy started N9 years ago when my God kids attended Robert was in leap and Reagan was in Ace they are now sophomores at Newman Smith my son Zion is currently in the first grade at McCoy and was recently selected to be part of the gifted talented program an achievement his father and I are extremely proud of we should all be here to support public education that is under attack but I am struck by the inconsistencies of the information the leaders are giving on the news today Dr Eldridge was quoted as saying the school campus is selected for closing were chosen by Financial issues and

086student achievement however the four criteria for closing schools presented to the board were condition in adequacy cost for Quality location and utilization student achievement was not part of the El decision process but it absolutely should be when board president Randy shakman was interviewed on CBS News and was asked why close the district's highest Elementary School his response was to ask what determines that it is the highest Elementary School in the district all our schools perform well that response shows his bias and ignorance because there are metrics listed that show exactly how a top school school is determined and all schools in the district are not performing the same the president of our school board should know that in closing to quote Robert bayen Powell try to leave the world a little better than you found

087it do you want this board's Legacy to be your decision to close the number one school in the district a top 2% School in Texas overall or do you want to be the board that supported and engaged their parents children and community and protected their number one school a school that should be held up to other schools in the district as an example of what can be achieved I implore you to motion for each school's vote to be split into separate action items and then you vote no to close McCoy thank you thank you Mr Nick o Nellis since 2018 this district has asked for and received over $1 billion to address infrastructure Renovations and Safety and Security in this District the 2023 Bond totaling $716 million allocated 80% of those funds to address these

088issues 200 million was allocated to replace four schools including Central Elementary These funds address the majority of the reasons cited as reasoning for your current consolidation plan thank you parents and community members for calling out the contradicting data lack of transparency and poor communication teachers please know your rights and protect yourself while I hope that this district will keep their word that all the employees will have a job next year there's absolutely nothing holding them to that no law no contract and definitely not their word please look at the sakuro district in El Paso as an example of what districts can and will do their superintendent promised them the same thing two weeks later a complete reversal with their school board voting to lay off 300 employees cfbisd now has made an employment policy that

089directly contradicts Texas state law Texas is a one-party state in reference to recording laws cfb's new policy now forbids recording conversations without the consent of all parties confidentiality of student information is already addressed within the laws of furpa so what reason would you have to make this policy other than to try and protect m treatment liars and abusers I speak from experience I speak the truth and I have the receipts on September 20th at 12:31 p.m. this District admitted to violating my due process word for word verbatim documented on the record now whether the district only said that in a failed attempt to have me agree to a new level three grievance hearing emphasis on failed that's a different story and a Poss possible dispute of facts the recordings I submitted to this school board

090that are now outlawed by this policy document the following actions perpetrated by my former principal denial of a mental health day request and then lying about it lying about and then admitting to screaming at me at a on a 6: a.m. phone call verbal and physical threats made against me on April 2nd 2024 I could go on but I honestly didn't think that we would get to 3 minut so I do appreciate that you will be hearing more from me including this community thank you thank you Mr orelis uh Tana profet dear y'all congratulations I think I'm your last speaker my name is Tatiana profit and a parent it is utterly impossible to vote on the consolidation as a single item the current proposal includes relocating LEAP program to Landry which impacts zoning of Smith

091and Ranch feeders however following Community input the district has decided to move leap to good Elementary instead this change necessitates further resoning beyond the original consolidation plan requiring the suspension of the proposed zoning changes for Smith and ranchview which thus further requires separating a single vote to four school closures and four zoning proposals into eight individual decisions additionally we urge you to suspend the decision regarding McCoy closure over the past 18 months the district and board have gathered and analyzed extensive data based on and based your heavy decisions on that data in a gazillion of emails text phone calls we have shown you that the data is flawed bad data equals bad decisions while external Consultants do great work they do not possess the same deep understanding of our schools as their teachers administrators and

092parents do let's take the time to collaborate with our community to reexamine the data other districts facing similar consolidation challenges are doing just that by leveraging existing information and conducting deeper analysis we can ensure that decisions are based on accurate and complete data only then we can fairly determine whether McCoy should remain on the closure list we respectfully request that you motion first separate voting into four into eight individual decisions and number two suspend the closure on McCoy and um lastly since I have a little time left uh thank you so much for allowing having we have 20 speakers thank you so much for allowing all of us the full three minutes you did not have to do that and we very much appr appreciate it thank [Applause] you I believe that is our last

093speaker we and board do you want to take a break or do we want to go into we're going to power right through okay uh next item up for on the agenda is uh non-action items for discussion uh construction update it's out of order in my book all right got the right page up uh consent agend agenda uh we will the consent agenda is a mechanism that the board uses to approve a number of routine items together with a single vote in compliance with the Texas open meetings act the public notice for this meeting includes a list of all consent agenda items and the board has been uh provided ample information about these items in advance prior to any action taken on the consent agenda board members May request withdrawal of individual items for clarification

094or discussion board members do you have any items that you're wishing to pull no I am going to pull item elf five f is in Frank um going to recuse myself on that vote and uh then with that recuse with that PLL do I have a motion Miss Hatfield I move to approve the consent agend agenda with the exception of item 5f okay do I have a second Miss Brady we have a motion at a second is there any discussion all those in favor of uh the motion as presented consent agenda as presented without item F please raise your hand that is unanimous you see that for the okay that9 one okay as we prepare to move to item six I mentioned at the start that I had some remarks under the president's remarks that

095app pardon 5 5f did you do five no that's what I was all right uh we need to have a motion to approve agenda consent agenda item 5 F and I'm going to recuse myself from that vote I make a motion to approve agenda item 5f as presented do I have a second second first SC Ras all in favor except accusing all right so have six all right so on to item six on our agenda this has been a most trying few days uh while working to be open honest and fair I've never and this board has never experienced so many varying interpretations of data and facts in effort to validate various opinions this issue has its roots in many things but it started some 10 years ago when the district enrollment and state enrollment

096numbers in publiced education systems began to decline it was exacerbated with a growing number of prescribed and mostly unfunded mandates that were thrust upon public education all of this became more urgent during covid and the immediate postco learning loss issues certainly there has been little support uh for the challenges that we Face from our legislature as public school funding has remained flat for years add to this the rapid growth of charter schools significantly increased online and other alternative educational models declining birth rates and more and as a result CFB like most Texas school districts is faced with this situation the immediate need to make adjustments to operations to right size for contemporary educational strategies and Technologies and and to cope with deficit budgets or fail to be able to maintain high quality educational programs and

097resources our district did not have an upto-date facilities master plan when this began and owing to some state required upgrades uh we were in some of our programs out of compliance as a board we refuse to sit by and let these issues overtake us with the constant go goal of high achievement for all students we researched and engaged top Professionals in the field to provide data that would impact our strategy and planning an attempt has been made to get it right their findings have been rigorously reviewed multiple times by our administrative team and by the best professional review that could be done with administrative oversight with so we arrive here tonight no matter what and how our board's leadership will decide the vote tonight but whichever way it goes somebody in this room will be

098unhappy uh it's a difficult time with varied varied opinions only time will tell if the right decisions have carried the day I just want to point out that our board has worked openly on this issue in an attempt to to engage input from all parts of our community for months I'm proud of their efforts their volunteers and their continued work make me extra proud to be their president may God bless us and continue to care for cfbisd and may all of our students have the opportunities needed to achieve their maximum potential the next item on our agenda is a motion forwarded to us by our Educational Consultants at Administration listed as 6B it is a proposal to consolidate Central Elementary for no Elementary McCoy Elementary and Long Middle School and corresponding proposed changes to elementary

099middle and high school attendance zones is there a second to this motion have a presentation that will come after the second we have a second okay yeah I'm gonna go okay that's not parliamentary but that's all right uh we need we have a motion on the floor okay and we need a second and then after that we'll have discussions presentations or whatever so we have a motion do we have a second no okay you want to have the presentation first now yeah Mr Moore talk Mr Moore if you'll give me a minute um I just want to say that the anticipation of tonight's meeting is heavy on all of us um our heart is CFB and CFB ISD um as so many of you have stated to tonight and the feelings up here no District

100ever wants to go through this process at the end of the day I do believe that we all want what's best for all of our students our community and our future generation our team has poured countless hours and dedicated months to gather and develop the proposal that our board will vote on tonight I want to thank our team for their hard work their late nights and their early warnings that don't go unnoticed I also want to express our my gratitude to our families and our community members for dedicating their time and their input and their passion for our district I want to thank representative house Cassandra Hernandez for being here tonight and your words of what we really need to do for our state legislature our students across the district are definitely our decisions and

101I also want to thank um poola poola is a student at Central Elementary and she wrote me a letter and she said the governor needs to give us more money the the governor needs to give money to the schools that really need it so help us all please please let's all be kind have a good heart we know we have a big change to help and make everyone happy make our community a better better place for all and a b a brighter place with sunshine and that is from one of our students and I want to thank her so much I think that sums it up and now I'm going to pass it over to Mr Moore for his presentation thank you Dr eldrige president shagman trustees um tonight's agenda item is a continuation from

102last month's board meeting uh in February we presented of course the the district's recommendation to consolidate four campuses and redraw attendance zones that information was information only and it was not for a vote tonight's presentation is of course uh part two if you will of the process and it will be for a formal vote um I will guide us back through some of the things we covered in February um three to four my colleagues will uh jump up here shortly as well to review some of these pieces um of course that uh explained in in February we we cover the 15 to 16 month process that we've taken on in charting this U this course some of what you see tonight is going to be at a higher level because um we have all uh

103seen this multiple times to this point and it's well documented in several several Avenues um some will be new such as the things that we learned over the course of the last month um the feedback that we gathered and some of the adjustments that we made based on that feedback um and then some will be the next steps and where we will go from here after the formal vote um but one thing that you have heard throughout uh at each of these meetings uh and you heard again tonight is that discussions like this are are not ever easy no one enjoys talking about consolidating campuses um and um I when we began you know peace Beyond understanding was was what was shared uh and then the prayer of unity community and wisdom those are three

104pieces that totally understand there's a lot of emotion within this it's emotional for everybody in this room and when you hear students talking about McCoy Market Cowboy Pride assemblies and their their television stations that that's that's it's wonderful students connect with with campuses they connect with their teachers um and and and it's wonderful that we as a district and and campuses can provide that and so um things like that though do make uh conversations like this um very difficult very challenging um but sometimes as we've said before those hard conversations are are needed and they have to happen and this is without doubt one of those times because um ultimately uh consolidating schools uh as we've presented is uh would allow us to better utilize and optimize our resources throughout uh the entire District um

105as far back as October of last year we've used a video if you will to help explain the situation that we find ourselves in um and explained that it's not unique to us and so tonight wanted to make things a little simpler um and it doesn't get much simpler than that map uh with the charts on the screen uh that really helps explain a complex issue um you can see there that there's there's 24 yellow dots and they represent 24 school districts that have all found themselves facing the same challenges uh that we do and that's declining enrollment aging facilities and a serious lack of funding from the state and it really does span the state geographically if you look it's El Paso uh to the West Amarillo to the North and then South down

106to Brownsville um but in north Texas alone we broke that section out to the left you can see that bulleted list there are 25 campuses among those um listed there and when you add in Fort Worth 25 campuses that have already been Consolidated when you add in Fort Worth into that grouping and the 24 campuses that they are considering um that has uh been reported on the last month that's 49 campuses within about a 45 mile 45 minute uh 45 mile radius of each other in north Texas that have either Consolidated or in the process of considering consolidation so that that explains a lot of what we're looking at um the timeline everyone has seen that um you know it explains how we how we got here where we started with the deficit budget in

107August of 23 um course correction led to the the paths down the the timeline capacity study ran from fall of of 23 to the spring of 24 when we presented that to the trustees of course that capacity study uh contain the data that recommended allowed U we brought a recommendation to uh consolidate up to three campuses and one Elementary School also the data of 9,800 empty seats throughout the district um we adopted a second consecutive deficit budget in August of 24 um and we knew again that that represented the the time for change and to help guide that change we wanted Community input you all wanted Community input uh before we took action on the proposals we needed new data we wanted the best information possible so everyone involved can make the best decisions possible

108um a big portion that was our Dem uh demographics information um Community input was gathered through the facility planning Advisory Group um that group met three times in the fall of 24 um staff teachers PTS a Business Leaders students at the secondary level um and the primary objective again was for them to develop the criteria that we then took and and put together and compared and brought you the consolidation recommendations um the fall 24 demographics report that was shared at the December 24 board meeting and then of course the board proposal last month and then we had U the Community Information sessions over the course of the last month four in total one for each campus that was um proposed for for consolidation and so as I have said every time we've looked at this

109slide that's a lot of information but those three guiding principles at the bottom are the most important information on there student achievement teacher support and uh fiscal responsibility they have led this charge from the start from the outset and we're going to continue uh with with that charge in mind so again 9800 empty seats in the district um if you ask why is the extra capacity an issue in one word it's EXP ensive uh this is a slide that you've seen the two schools on screen are both less than 25 years old but um six years apart glof and Strickland on the left Blair on the right and uh you can see that we spend 30% more per student at the campus with lower utilization and so um this process has been about our goal

110is is maximizing our investment for every student and to do that we need to address these kinds of imbalances um as I mentioned at the beginning consolidation uh is going to allow us to to to better utilize our resources more strategically uh and continue investing in our students futures um I do want to be clear on two things each time we've mentioned this low utilization at a campus has never meant that a particular school would be recommended for consolidation the goal is to improve utilization across the entire district and uh more students per school does not mean that uh more students per class it means that we can better afford the staff um the space and the resources that are needed for optimal student achievement utilization was uh one of the several things talked about

111and researched by the facilities planning Advisory Group um again its purpose was to set the criteria for us to to make the master planning recommendations to you all as a board um and its goal was to position our district among the most competitive uh through efficient use of funds and Facilities um that group did a wonderful job you can see the results there again their criteria developed in all four categories they're listed there utilization location cost for Quality condition and adequacy every one of those categories was approved uh by at least uh 93% vote of all of those members and U this this criteria it was comprehensive and it was it was Community created so while that uh facility planning Advisory Group was working working our demographer was also conducting its research uh there's a

112couple of things that I want to highlight from their report what you see on the screen there is a forecast uh but before I speak to that I want to uh look back at the previous 5 to 10 years our District's enrollment Trend um it shows a gradual reduction but is a sustained gradual reduction over the past 5 to 10 years um since the 201819 school year our enrollment has declined by more than 1,200 students about 4.7% um most of our neighbors are seeing steeper declines in Dallas County specifically in South Dallas County declines upwards of 16 to to 32% um we're not to that extent but we still are declining in enrollment now looking at that forecast on the screen over the next 10 years you can see that the projected decline continues there

113roughly a thousand more students 1,00 students over the next 10 years and so some of that is uh is Charter related um I did present this to the Farmers Branch city council Tuesday um they were asking what could lead to some of those things Charter enrollment it's increased by 42% over the past 5 years across the entire State while enrollment in school districts has only increased by 2% again that's Statewide not just CFB um but here our students um over the last decade are enrolling uh at a rate of 67% in our neighboring Charters so that is a Factor within that um but there's always unknowns within demographic reports and the um education world has its fair share certainly right now uh vouchers bills filings educational service accounts all of that is rolling in Austin

114um until those are voted on and put into place don't know how that impact is going to hit us here um but ultimately declining enrollment which we are experiencing that means declining revenue and um we want to be able to provide the same high quality instruction and the opportunities for our current students that they receive today 10 years from now so that the class of 2025 um is celebrating the same successes the class of 2035 is celebrating the same successes as a class of of of 2025 so we glance back at how we got here uh in the context about the the landscape that we've worked through so now I'm going to take a second to look at the uh the specific U consolidation recommendations again those that's the rationale and the benefits um that's

115uh that that remains unchanged from previously fiscal responsibility efficiency you see the five there within rationale um and then the benefits this would help reduce um more than 2,300 empty seats in the district um total estimated Savings of $17 million if it's implemented with Fidelity year year one savings um first year $9 million and the programs this to locate them where the majority of students served and then the improved Transportation efficiency so in the Turner High School feeder pattern recommendation is to consolidate Central Elementary um you can see the four categories there on the left again that were uh developed by the facility planning Advisory Group um and to the right you can see what's shaped Out Among the considerations and and the desired outcomes when compared with Central um Central is the oldest Elementary

116feeder in the in the Turner feeder it's the oldest Elementary facility rather in the Turner feeder pattern it's 61 years old um consolidation anticipated to uh improve the elementary utilization in the Turner feeder to 81% which is a 16% Improvement uh the the Turner feeder like uh all of our elementaries it has a high density of Elementary campuses at one location within that feeder there are four schools located within one mile of each other and then portions of the Turner uh campus specific to location they border the East and West perimeters of of Central's campus um and so General thoroughfare parking issues challenges exist there um and then the the Cox Street um aspect of things traffic flow on Cox Street it transitions five times within 10 hours every day during the school week um

117from 6:45 to 8:35 it's one way only and from 240 to 420 it's one way only so there five traffic flow transitions on that street on any given day during the work uh during the school week um and then there's four different traffic signs along that roadway excluding the the school uh school zone signs um and then as was mentioned at the last meeting um consolidation of the campus would allow for um long-term improvements at at at Turner High School um approximately 400 parking spaces at Turner that's a campus that's just under 2,000 students plus staff uh we have parking waivers that have been granted to us for parking uh from the city we've got a lease agreement with the church at Josey and Cox which is just south of the campus for extra parking

118space as well the Creek View feeder um the recommendations to consolidate fno uh you can see the the criteria there among that fno is the oldest Elementary in the feeder without a major res uh renovation at 43 years uh consolid validations anticipated to remove uh improve the elementary utilization there to 82% which is an improvement of 11% 160 residents would be impacted by this consolidation which is the lowest number of residents in the feeder so we would impact the lowest number of of elementary students uh with this recommendation um as I'd mentioned the Creek View feeder is is also dense with schools it's at one location it has five schools located within one mile of each other um fno has the uh the Pod classroom setup as do three to four of our other campuses

119that presents increased noise smaller classrooms nonse securable doors um privacy concerns thin walls Forno specifically has some pretty severe Plumbing issues um namely sewer BL sewer brakes under the slab under classroom areas um and then it's got foundation and erosion challenges within the parking lot on the north side um rain runoff leads to a lot of pooling and puddling there on that parking area flooding Forno also has some pretty uh significant kitchen issues there's not enough storage in the freezer or in the walk-in cooler to accommodate the meals on campus um not enough inventory on hand which means that student nutrition often times has to transport food items over for lunch and breakfast um and the square footage of the freezer and the serving line it can't be expanded because of the kitchen's design which

120the building's 43 years old and so certainly the way that the kitchen and the cafeteria are used now or not how they were intended in you know 1982 it's different today next the uh Smith feeder pattern the recommendation is to consolidate McCoy it is the oldest fac uh Elementary facility in the feeder at 48 years without a major renovation or plans for renovation um the uh anticipated to improve Elementary utilization in the feeder to 86% which is an improvement of 9% um it has the lowest number of Resident students impacted because 123 resident students will be impacted uh which is the lowest number of of of students in the feeder as far as those who are actually zoned for the for the campus um it has a high density as well uh schools again this

121is one that has uh four four schools located with one mile of each other this has the same pod set up with smaller classrooms uh the same similar security challenges increased noise non-curable doors um it has Foundation issues at multiple points throughout the building um much like Forno uh the same kitchen challenges just insufficient space in the cooler and the freezer um can't always accommodate and have inventory on site to feed um and there's no allowable expansion given the design for the serving line or the freezer um without the transfer students McCoy's capacity would be 76.3% empty uh the campus capacity is 57 and the student enrollment is 420 but just 123 students reside in the actual attendance zone so 29% of the students who attend McCoy live within the attendance Zone 277 transfer into

122the campus that's 66% and then 158 are in District transfers Middle School recommendation it is to consolidate long uh it's the oldest Middle School without a major Innovation 46 years um it's projected to improve districtwide Middle School utilization uh up to 79% um there's multiple points of Entry at long with Foundation shifting and heaving um and since they are at points of Entry it leads to uh stuck doors which is some security challenges doors a jar um the serving line setup and the staff at long we are operating there uh Standalone below our federally uh tracked standards due to the enrollment at the campus our Middle School staff um at a at a number of 14 staff members and they operate three serving lines um long staff's at 10 staff members and operates two serving

123lines uh because of the low enrollment um it it has lower enrollment at uh at Long Middle School than 14 of our CFB Elementary campuses um this does impact the least number of of Resident students at the middle school level you see the the comparison to the campuses underneath those are other middle school campuses and their residents who attend um and then its location has just one through Street which is Frankfurt six Lanes with the median and so that presents accessibility challenges because Apple Ridge there just on the U on the East it runs north uh into a te uh into apartment complexes um tough to get out of there and then the drop off in the west parking lot along Frankfurt uh that also becomes congested so those are the recommendations so um take

124a look back at the potential plans for uh how those could be reused the alternative uh uses could include what you see there um sale future Bond projects uh temporary classrooms for construction projects uh couple things I do want to stress here is that the facility planning Advisory Group made clear that it's intent that buildings should not remain vacant for prolonged periods of time um they wanted to make clear that that uh is not uh happen with regard to any of these consolidations proposals um and then also wanted to stress that any redistribution of our bond funds associated with these schools they will go to the bond oversight committee which by design that provides accountability to the community on all things that are related to the bond um it's a group of nine um nine

125members two trustees Also Serve um and they um they ensure that we adhere to the intent and the purpose of the 23 bond election uh in fact one of the listed responsibilities of the bond oversight committee is to provide feedback to the district on proposed project scope adjustments um that arise from shifting needs so anything uh with regard to this would uh first be seen embedded by the bond oversight committee um another reuse piece I want to explain it regards um potential land sale understandably land sale can raise concerns um but there are strict parameters uh that we are required statutes requirements uh that any school district must follow with regard to land sales um first trustees would have to adopt a board resolution pass a board resolution to authorize uh sale of the property

126and that's a Texas Education Code requirement um second we as as a district would have to provide public notice uh before the sale so we can inform the community and potential buyers that's a local government code um we have to then make clear what our method of sale would be there's three different options on that sealed bids uh request for proposals are simply listing with a real estate agent um fifth the board uh would evaluate the proposals uh and then evaluate based on on the different criteria received within them and then lastly the board uh would select an offer and finalize the sale through another formal process which is also part of Education Code and uh as you can see there are additional there could be additional compliance requirements uh depending on the property and

127as a school district we would have some additional requirements that were that we would have to adhere to and again that's Texas Education Code so pretty strict um involved process on land sale so the attendance Zone recommendations um as we we'd mentioned prior to consolidation of course that requires new attendance zones um we want to balance utilization um that allow us to enhance the the investment in every one of our students um new attendance zones haven't been considered in in almost two decades um and neighborhoods have shifted and changed a great deal during that time um new attendance zones allow us to better optimize our transportation um and then um there were some adjustments based on um with our attendance Zone recommendations between our proposal and February to now and those adjustments were to Blandon

128Freeman good Lavita Landry uh Los kenas um good and Landry in Blandon they were adjusted because of we initially proposed of course the relocation of Elementary leap from McCoy to Landry we pivoted on that after we received parent feedback and uh we plan to relocate leap um the leap the elementary LEAP program to good Elementary School and so Freeman laita and Los kinus they were also adjusted and that was to uh correct capacity numbers within the zoning structure these are the uh proposed Elementary attendance zones uh for no students would attend either Thompson or Davis that's in the northern portion of the map there um McCoy students would attend good Blandon or care um again the leak program it would continue intact and is proposed to be located at good going forward Central students would

129attend Carolton or mlof and Strickland and um the boundaries each one was touched all but two attendance zones Kent McCarter have proposed changes because the boundaries of each of the surrounding areas you've got to uh U push and pull somewhat to accommodate the uh the consolidations and the adjustments and so again with this and with the others uh the goals to balance the utilization the proposed Middle School attendance zones um that one's pretty pretty simple to see the the red at the top is long um Long Middle School students would attend either bllac or pulk and again within that there is a uh there's trickle down from there because you have to adjust the boundaries to accommodate the changes when when McCoy is removed from from the portfolio um and again with this initial discussion

130of transitioning uh the Middle School uh LEAP program from Bush to Perry that has also been paused uh leap will remain at Perry next school year so that's not part of not part of the consolidation recommendation of the vote at all uh but leap at middle school is also going to remain paused for next year and then there are the proposes at the high school level they were minimal um Creek View Zone got just a little bit bigger you can see that stretch on the far uh East Side it stretches over towards um uh Bush and then Smith Zone um got just a little bit smaller so parent feedback it did impact our original proposal weeded more than 400 questions um and thoughts through the Avenues that you see there um the FAQs were added

131to the facility's planning page uh for uh planes uh the facilities planning for Success web pages um and we made adjustments based on that feedback aside from the uh the campus meetings the district organized an additional information session for leap parents um staff and families the uh initial relocation as I'd mentioned for elementary leap was proposed to go to McCoy uh from McCoy to Landry rather but we received a lot of feedback on that uh and a parent survey was distributed to our leap parents both Elementary Middle School when we got those survey results back uh we went over those uh with families at the uh at the Waton Center and those results show that 51% of the responses preferred a centralized location and 65% preferred either a centralized location or a northern location and

132so the decision was made to locate elementary leap at good Elementary which is um anywhere from 1.6 to 2 miles uh currently from mcoy and it's still in the central portion of the district um and as i' mentioned the LEAP program in Middle School will remain at Perry for the 25 26 school year and and those LEAP program placements are not items being voted on tonight those are district placements so now I'm going to turn things over to uh Lance Hamlin he's our assistant superintendent of student services and he will talk us through the transfer process thank you Mr Moore I do uh before I go into the transfer process I just want to make sure we all know that not only our community but Board of Trustees that we're going to do everything possible

133uh whatever happens after tonight to make sure all of our kids are going to be taken care of no matter what campus they're at today based on the zones we're going to make sure every student is taken care of as you can see I'm just going to kind of walk you through our transfer process for the 2526 school year and it's just four steps uh but after I go through that that second step I'm going to talk a little bit about what the guidelines that we we're going to have created uh for the the process itself as you can see for the first step you know the parents just need to determine if a transfer is required to attend their preferred campus uh and then when they do that they'll have an opportunity to if

134they're in District first register and then complete the transfer application online if they're out of District complete the transfer uh registration online let's see I got to get to that now once again as Mr Moore said we I'm sorry it's not showing on the screen where's Tech help there you go my apologies just go back to PowerPoint okay my apologies uh as you can see with uh with the community input there were a lot of concerns out there if we do the have the uh zone changes then what's going to happen to my child who has gone to this campus their entire career and they're going to be in fifth grade and now they're going to have to change campus I don't want my child to change campuses and I want to say CFB we

135don't want those children to have to change campuses either uh and then we had the second question uh well what if they have siblings in first second third grade uh well we don't want to separate our families so as you can see we have a PRI uh uh priority list with what we're considering what is a grandfathered student and what we're what we're considering is a grandfather student is any student at a current uh campus that is going to be impacted by a rezone going to fifth grade they would be grandfathered so they would actually have an opportunity to stay at that campus the schools that are impacted with this as uh Mr Moore said earlier it's really all elementary campuses except mcarter and Kent because their zones do not change and then all all

136middle schools except Bush because their zone is not going to change so what's part of the process for for these students that are considered grandfathered students they will not have to do anything other than register for their campus for their school they will not have to go through the transfer process then let's talk about the siblings a sibling of a grandfathered student once again a fourth grade student going into fifth grade a seventh grade student going into eighth grade they will be required to do a transfer uh application and the approval will be dependent upon space available but once again we're going to do everything possible to make sure these students have an opportunity to stay where they're at then you have the renew out of District transfers those are out of out of District

137students who want to remain in CFB they are live outside the district but they want to remain in CFB that impacts all campuses all out of District transfers must be uh reapplied for every single year and that's actually a mandate by Texas Education Code uh that's not just CFB but that is actually a mandate uh and those approvals will depend on Space availability attendance academic performance and discipline history and then you have our new IND District transfers the new IND District transfers is any student who wishes to attend any campus outside their attendance Zone this will impact all campuses and once again a transfer application must be uh filled out online uh the approval is the same it's going to be based on Space attendance academic performance and discipline history and then the last one

138I apologize new out of District transfers that's any student outside of our district that want to join and be part of our CFB family that will impact all campuses a trans transfer application will be required and once again the approvals are the same it depends on Space attendance academic performance and discipline history then we'll go back to all the way to our process step three the decision I will encourage All Families to constantly check your emails because when we start sending out the approvals uh we have found in the past those approvals sometimes end up in somebody's junk mail and then we get the phone calls well you never sent us an approval but it's actually in junk mails uh email emails so we just want you to check your emails we're asking this year

139which is a little bit different because of the possibility of more uh requests for transfers for 60 days to have those uh responses to our families and then the final step if there's an approval then all records will be automatically sent to that new campus and just a few reminders the application window is going to be March 24th through May through May 9th as well as once again for transfer to be approved we're going to be looking at space attendance data academic data and discipline data and then now I'll turn it over to M and then you'll have to go into the financial good evening president shakman Dr Eldridge and trustees I appreciate a few minutes to add a little um Financial Clarity on the impact of the recommendations before you tonight on the underused

140uh facilities uh the fact of the matter is the decision to consider footprint reduction of the district has been accelerated by Rising inflation and additional programmatic needs since the 1920 school year you can see in the graph above uh commonly presented amongst all districs considering the same decision uh that the power of the very complex State funding formula dollar per student has decreased by over $1,300 in The Last 5 Years and since we use that dollar um 80% for personnel I like to think of them as dinner tables uh those dinner tables have a little less ability to purchase the bread or eggs as very popular today um to balance the same needs that we have to do today uh in the district like fuel our um insurance policies utilities and how about just making

141it to the end of the month I'd like to review a little bit more in detail about the impact of the savings and how as some of our Educators dinnner tables we have additional considerations and assumptions that inform that calculation and remember it is an estimate because things change in Texas very quickly uh so the first thing I want to kind of review is the assumptions uh and these are trends that are documented in the district that we experience at least a 24% turnover rate at the end of every school year so by prioritizing current CFB family the district has the ability to absorb some of those vacancies with current staff members from the Consolidated campuses we call that attrition and through attrition we will also adhere to our class sizes and leveling with Fidelity

142that could result in a permanent reduction of as many 20% of the positions of the affected campuses and that may be a little bit overtime because attrition doesn't happen overnight and the final assumption that I want to remind you of is that all four campuses were removed in this calculation in their current capacity so any proposals for the use of the campuses like a permanent sale which would be a one-time Revenue opportunity or a repurpose of a site is not part of the calculation so with all of that said the summary of the potential savings is as follows 16.1 million in personnel which is always the largest of area of savings like I mentioned before 80% of our budget is in total District expenditures are dinner tables slow strategic decreases in the number of teachers

143administrators and support staff catch up that $1,200 uh 1,200 student um historical Decline and that helps us lower the budget for salary and benefits the other costs specifically you would think that the operational and Facilities may not be as meaningful but that's an investment in maintenance across the district um a little bit about our maintenance and operations staff you might not be aware of over the last five years during historic inflation they have only increased their expenditures by 11% and they are the second largest category behind instruction in our budget but maintenance needs are not declining they're growing exponentially and we cannot keep up so all in all the proposed recommendations to consolidate should within reasonable time period of about 5 years materializes savings to the district of $17 million and it would be reasonable

144to expect that a little over half of that savings could be realized through Fidelity in leveling class-size caps and Staffing with current members of the CFB family the estimated $9 million was shared with the board in the previous meeting but just like everything else in Texas we need to consider other financial implications that might affect that Savings in Curr including the current legislative session any increase in Revenue should be considered that it might affect spending requirements for educators so educator um teacher salary spending requirements not support staff when you think about Transportation The increased Revenue due to higher R ridership could also be a piece of that you might see Savings in optimizing bus routes which could reduce the amount of drivers and overtime and other additional Transportation efficiencies on the other side of the

145consideration demolition costs May offset any kind of one-time revenue of the sale of land and you might also consider the costs that are associated with relocating special programming and preserving them and finally this savings estimate does not provide any increase in overall compensation to The District in short the work to mitigate the state's revenue shortfall for cfbisd is not over with the recommendations tonight it is significant in defining the future footprint and program portfolio of Educational Services District administration is working diligently to regain ground and fiscally conservative long range strategy unanticipated inflation and the slow decline in enrollment have affected the re Revenue in a way that expenditures must be adjusted to honor the district's historically financially sound um plan as a district of innovation and now I'd like to yield the presentation to the

146assistant superintendent of Human Resources D Dr Tammy smallus to address the impact of this recommendation on our District's largest investment our staff good evening president shakman Dr Eldridge members of the board before I start I have a little handout that I'm going to uh give to president uh shakman to share with the board uh we put together a little um transition plan for our staff that uh I'll share with yall is it just this button so the document that you were all receiving is a document that our human resources department put together to Think Through diligently how we can transition our our our staff the resource is called strong staff transition plan and so I give you a little bit of a history of why where we came up with that since there's three of

147us in our department that have actually lived through this actual situation our mission is one district one team stronger together and the strong acronym represents our guiding principle supporting each other through change thriving in a new environment remaining committed to our students optimizing optimizing growth through collaboration navigating through New Beginnings and growing together on this particular slide you will see our transition timeline that we have put together to officially begin tomorrow if and shall you all approve the consolidation plan starting tomorrow our survey will be uh sent out to the impacted campuses and they will that survey will be remain open until midnight of next Tuesday the staff will have an opportunity to give preference and selections of some of their top three choices of where they would prefer to go once the responses are

148collected the HR team will collaborate with District leaders on employee uh placements and our goal is to inform every employee of their new assignment by May 1st and then following that we want to initiate welcoming events from that May 2nd through the May 16th time frame to help ensure a smooth transition how are we going to do priority plac our Educators that are impacted by the consolidation will receive priority consideration obviously we have to send to our staff with program transfers moving to a new campus so our teachers will follow those programs we're also going to have to look at specific counts of students specific student groups where they are impacted by resoning and ensure enough staff follow those students as well and then additional Place uh additional um displaced staff will be placed in

149other vacancies throughout the district based on their priorities through the through the survey that they are going to take uh teacher reassignments will be based on a combination of factors such as their top three campus selection senority in the district obviously certification plays a big part into this making sure that we're certified in the proper areas and then obviously the overall District needs uh we will take into consideration our adjunct positions they will be reviewed on a case-by Case basis based on their certification requirements and positioned availability and in some cases there may be opportunity for us to do some team teaching depending on the number of vacancies that we have looking at our support staff support staff will be placed in available vacancies based on the district needs and feedback from the transition preference

150survey uh seniority and preference consideration when there are multiple staff members who qualify for the same role will be taking a look at seniority past performance as the key factors when placing making placement decisions and again if a district position is not available employees may be assigned to a comparable support role or serve as an additional support at another campus placement based on student needs so this is our uh special education ESL Fine Arts counselors Librarians um we are going to assign those again based on student demand and at the campuses and where our student numbers may or may not increase we'll be looking at all placements again that align with license and certification requirements we will involve our department lead such as our director of nursing will be assisting us with our nursing um

151uh placements as well as our director of counseling to help us determine where our counselors um need additional support as far as where we need to put them and again um in cases that are not permanent positions we may have extra uh nurses or extra counselors available at assigned campuses and I think I turn this back over to Mr Moore thank you thank you ma'am okay so um I want to look at the potential outcomes of this evening um if approved and if not approved uh because as i' mentioned at the beginning and as you all are aware is uh an option that is uh that is for for vote tonight um if approved this allow the district to uh increase the um Equity of our uh modern learning environments across all of our schools

152throughout the district um it could let us preserve the uh program portfolio including our CTE our Athletics Fine Arts U uh programs it would let us address declining enrollment maintain tea student staff ratios uh and retain all of our current teachers um provide improved transportation and um optimize the current future routes host registration and enrollment at our Consolidated campuses that would avoid the need of a reduction in force districtwide it would minimize the additional construction costs using Consolidated campuses as Mr Blackburn touched on at our last meeting um and then meaningful progress to uh mitigate our Revenue shortfall it would be a meaningful step uh Within in addressing that shortfall if not approved um we would revisit the consolidation process because we still have 9800 empty seats in the district even with this it will

153reduce it down to 7500 empty seats so the consolidation issue the empty seats is not uh is not going away um consider a reduction en forc districtwide um Implement small school Staffing models or a shared leadership model we would increase class sizes eliminate support position at lower enrolled campuses evaluate the potential elimination of of specialized programs um Implement potentially Implement fee-based student engagement activities um decrease resources per student and then um it would risk the achievement of our vision 2030 and so um that is that is the uh the presentation that is what we have for you this evening and uh we will answer any questions you may have board any questions board members Mr Moore so on the consolidation of central since we'll be using it as a location for the new school being

154built If This Were to go through tonight is that equivalent to saying that although it be possibly zoned for closure eventually that would still be operating for the next several years until the new Carolton was built is that fair to say the yes ma'am the the students currently attending Central would um not be at Central next year uh it could serve as a swing space for Turner students it would be in operation not as a current elementary campus it would serve as a temporary construction uh relief from the construction ongoing at Turner I see thank you following up with Miss Brady's question I thought at the Farmers Branch meeting you said that the Farmers Branch kids would come to Central that during that that would be phase two of central that could serve as a

155multiple construction sites because the site at Farmers Branch Elementary is too small to build on um with uh while it's under construction and so Turner would be phase one of a temporary site uh and then Farmers Branch will be phase two of that as a potential temporary site um regarding low growth no birth rates Etc that was shared with the de demographer um judge Andy and D County went to a summit in February and he said that they are growing by 90 people a day in Denton County and i' just like to know one one side says no growth the other side says there is growth how has that been taken into consideration Dallas County in and of itself is growing um but if you look at um so the county Dallas countyy is growing

156but the school districts are not um they are growing the the districts in Colin County North Northwest Colin County Kaufman County to the side um so while people are moving into Dallas County students are not moving in with them and families that are moving from Dallas County into the surrounding areas Denton County is one of them um students are moving with them outside of the areas so um we're we're not growing and the school districts within Dallas County are not growing either I believe um on that report Cel may have been the lone the lone School District in all of Dallas County that experienced positive growth over the last 5 years it averaged anywhere from we were we were around second or third with that 4.7% Decline and then it jumped to 16% 32% down

157in South Dallas uh the South Dallas County area so as a whole as a district there's there's no growth among the uh the school districts in Dallas County um may I ask about uh I guess one of the other things I'd be thinking about is other schools like the charter schools in our area they're closing for the same problem they can't keep up they can't keep up with their finances renewals and such I mean I'm aware of one that's closing next year but between on Trinity Mills between uh Marsh and Kelly and that's 400 plus kids I mean with the potential growth that the judge speaks about and the potential closures of other schools how will we be able to handle these children if they come to us well over the course of the last

158decade we've been impacted 67% it's ebed and flowed 67% of our kids at some point over the last 10 years have experienced Charter Schools um and so over the course of the decade we've already been absorbing that um if if the um Charter programs if if they're closing um we we have we we will still have with this reduction we will have 7500 empty seats and so we will still have buildings and room within our portfolio to adjust but we have already been working within the charter um epidemic if you will for the last decade um not just us but this districts throughout the state I think the chart of rment was 42% over the last decade Statewide in growth in school districts throughout the state is just at 2% and so that has ebed

159and flowed throughout and we'll have to also like I'd mentioned the unknowns um Educational Service vouchers legislative sessions underway right now uh we'll just have to see how those unfold as well and when things are actually adopted and put into effect after the session's over uh we'll just have to see how those things uh begin impacting something else thank you for um some additional Clarity that has been offered tonight um I want to go back to several things um one being actually it's going to be Missle on the financial piece um you mentioned with the legislature I know some things right now are going through with requirements for Teacher raises so isn't it right now that it's required that 30% go towards teacher raises and they're looking at increasing that to 40% but that does

160not include our support staff it does not so we will have to in order to stay competitive and keep our support staff we will also need to absorb that additional cost in addition to all these um other inflationary increases yes ma'am and um as we're starting to plan for fiscal the next fiscal year um I know that you put our insurance policies have increased 179% and our employee compensation is up 14% are we anticipating that we're going to see an additional cost on insurance premiums for our employees next year I think that's expectation everywhere um they uh insurance policies do like an average you know they they look back and those actuaries uh don't really ignore significant weather events like we experienced this year or this week or in the last five years and so

161those do affect premiums going forward okay thank you and then additionally um your financial considerations also accounted for not providing any salary increases right that was nothing uh part of this recommendation and the impact on the budget so if we were to try to um get provide raises to our teachers that's going to be an additional cost that we are going to have to realize and is in going to impact our fund balance yes ma'am okay and furthermore this is not going to get rid of the deficit no ma'am The District administration is working very diligently right now to refine our department budgets and our staffing Beyond just the campus uh so that we optimize resources districtwide thank you um and then my last uh question was on the HR side of things just to

162clarify that displaced um team members in at the campuses will be going to campuses not to central office yes ma'am that's correct okay so we will be utilizing those staff to support increasing student achievement that is correct okay thank you very much I think that's all I have okay scar thank you for your present ation uh so first of all I'd like to thank our students for being here tonight and for having the courage to speak in front of a group of adults that you don't know to use your voice thank you for speaking up you're going to remember how you spoke up [Applause] today in the past four weeks I've faced some social media attacks and vandalisms on my vehicle and I want to be clear that that I absolutely condemn any form of

163violence directed at myself or my colleagues I take my role as a trustee very seriously but I will not tolerate violations of my personal space or put the safety of my family at risk there's a bill that's impending in the Texas state legislature that maybe just maybe would give us an increase of $220 that's it I find it difficult at times to find to stay hopeful that our lawmakers will increase public education funding because that hasn't happened since 2019 this is where politics affect your day-to-day life I'm going to ask mle a couple questions uh for Community clarification where does our budget come from state federal both all around so the very complex State funding program originates in the foundation school program that has a balance of local tax effort which is your half of

164your or a portion of your property tax rate which is the maintenance and operations tax rate and then there is the state aid however uh for cfbisd our local share covers our spending our our funding requirement and so the majority of our state aid goes back in recapture okay so compared to last year how have expenses fluctuated I know that you gave us that is it have you seen an increase in spending due to inflation is it just overall everything is going up uh everything is going up uh the the increase in the deficit from last year to this year is $10 million off of uh $288 million in Revenue so it is proportional I mean actually it's less than what inflation has been uh but we can't stop the expenses like like uh trusty

165Hatfield mentioned I can't control in Insurance increases um I'm sure everybody you know tries to get the best purchasing on their utilities we we use a lot of kilowatts in this district and those are just um some of the basic operational expenses that go up Beyond uh the 80 million 80% of the budget that goes to Personnel okay if we put push this decision out until next year how is that going to impact our budget well if we Trend off last year you're looking at another at least $10 million if you issue a raise and I don't I think what I was trying to make the case for is you don't solve um the deficit off the dinner table of an educator okay just for a clarification I don't know if you're the person that's

166going to answer this but for clarification to the community who's in charge of surplus property it would be uh technically it's the board we um as District administration can bring only what we um have the ability to sell and at this point um it would be the senior senior leadership so is the current property that's these schools are they up for sale right now no they are not currently okay all right so pretty I have I'm sorry I have another question Mr shackman so for clarification on a page I wanted to go back this is for Mr Moore the McCoy page I think at the bottom can you help me understand those numbers I wasn't I didn't understand that I'm not sure if that's just McCoy or if that's for everybody yes ma'am at the

167bottom where it says 123 reside and then it gives percentages can you clarify that for me yes ma'am um so the student enrollment is 420 420 students enrolled at McCoy 123 of those 420 are actually zoned within the McCoy attendance zone so 29% of the 420 students live within the McCoy attendance boundary 277 of the students attending McCoy transfer into the campus so 65% transfer into the campus and then of of those 158 are in District transfers and 119 are out of District transfers okay um let's see and I had an additional question just one more and then I'm done I'll let everybody else go where it says potential savings it says7 million right is that can you help me understand that number because I thought I saw 9 million and now I'm seeing 17

168so maybe I just need clarification correct um the proposed savings that could be realized in the first year would be 9 million but 17 million is the current cost to operate all four schools that includes the current salaries of everybody employed and then the uh historical trends of Maintenance and operations so the 17 is if we shut them all down is that right correct okay my question is we're going to repurpose some of if this vote goes through tonight some of the campuses will be repurposed is that correct upon your approval yes and what would that look like what would savings or maybe I'm I I'm not sure I understand at the moment on the savings that would come from C control or from repurposing it if that makes any sense I think that also

169um adds to the complexity of school finance and why it's a little difficult to understand um so the bond projects are funded through the other portion of your tax rate called interest and syncing and that is the tax rate that supports Bond the bond issuance um those capital projects came with a you know package budget when the bond passed in 2023 and and uh what Mr Blackburn and his team have proposed is creating more capacity in those construction project budgets by not buying Portables and using um property using the uh Central and long property we already have in in um active but for a different way okay sorry thank you that's why he's the expert to follow up on that Miss garer rooh House's question um if we can you just let us know how

170much let's say a portable one portable one month what is that I just so we all have a ballpark what that means how much we're quote unquote saving for example uh what we would expect to spend on Portables at the blood laac middle school project is about 2.5 million and often times we're required to put in new infrastructure like fire hydrants we we have to completely secure the Portables we have to provide Life Safety Systems um it's typically very involved in a costly process okay and can since you're right there Mr Blackburn can you explain about the money that was highlighted for the McCoy school and Central anybody else that was supposed to get money through the bond and how that will work if they are to close as Mr Moore mentioned U we would

171propose reallocations to the bond over side committee discuss that with them and once they're comfortable with the recommendations though they would bring the recommendations to the board to consider okay thank you I think a lot of my um uh questions on the the details have have been um asked but there was only one one thing that I don't think I heard tonight um and related to our students and um their safety as far as bus transportation routes I know it was mentioned at an information um session but um about the requirement for the two mile radius but then what happens inside the 2 mile radius um on some of our busy um streets you know if this was approved could you clarify that please yes ma'am um so we are required to offer Transportation two

172miles and out um throughout the state of Texas that's a requirement for school districts school districts do have the option if there is um within the 2 mile radius we can declare um offsets within that a hazardous route for instance um specifically for Central uh that was a question that's come up in visiting with Central parents because um as it's currently zoned students would either have to cross belt line or cross Josie those are both six Lane thoroughfares with a medium um and and so um crossing guards were asked about that uh but we would be relyant on a second grader or a third grader to know I'm going to walk to a crossing guard uh and then trust them to get to the crossing Y and cross the street and so at Central um

173we're going to provide transportation within that those will all be declared within the way so that students are not Crossing Belt Line and Crossing Josie and so uh there were also questions uh with fno with uh with some streets in that area and so anywhere that there's a you know secondary and up typically uh you can get crossing guards work with the cities because the cities manage crossing guards but school districts typically at the secondary level and up students have the cognitive abilities the wherewithal to to get to those areas but um turning elementary students loose to uh trust them to get to a crossing guard on a six Lane thare uh is not something that we're interested in doing and we have that precedence already in in our district right we have several of

174those identified um okay thank you yes bar thank you guys so much um and most of my colleagues have already asked uh most of the questions that I had I just had one about the transfer process um sorry to make you get up and maybe this is just a clarification um with the whole transfer process as they're all resoning what about the students who are already enrolled in a certain program within an elementary school or middle school um will they have to complete the transfer process if if a student has qualified for a program no ma'am they will not okay because they're part of that program okay and it really depends on which program you're speaking of as well too yeah like IB or dual language or after well okay so uh dual language one

175way then obviously they do not have to apply but dual language two-way that is a choice so they would have to go with that process okay so they would fill out the transfer process all right thank if they're already in apologize if they're already in the program though they would have to if they wanted to be a new person in the program they would right but if they're already in it they do not have to do that okay all right thank you so much okay um regarding the busing has there been a change in the expense regarding all the new uh the resoning was going to reduce our busing cost and now with the rezoning and the new changes of utilizing possibly closed campuses how will that impact that cost we uh efficiency with regard

176to that aspect of things um we anticipate right now based on current numbers we would add anywhere from five to six routes to the elementary level in five to six routes to the Middle School level however those routes may be shorter shorter route times uh better consolidation of the students on the buses more students on the buses um improve routing and improve efficiencies and less fewer routes for buses and so while there might be new routes added uh the efficiencies within those routes shorter runs shorter times able to get to other places where they need to be uh to run the three- tiered schedule as well as the impact on fuel within the shorter routes um thing that you did not cover which we've talked about over the last few months was the pre Center

177repurposing for no um you mentioned flooding kitchening no expanding in the kitchen how will that impact a future uh plan for a pre- center if right now we can't accommodate students if the fno site was selected in the future as a prease center the existing structure would be raised um the land would be the the it would be a built for purpose prease Center it would not be at the existing um facility that's standing there now so rebuild and I think the last question I had um well what about uh the students and the families that walk away if this consolidation program I mean have y'all considered that loss of uh funds there I'm I guess I didn't understand I said have you considered the um please if you have you considered the number of

178families and students that will walk away from the district if this is approved tonight what kind of financial impact well there would be an impact I mean and several indicated if the leap uh program does not remain where it is um that uh they would not remain in the district uh but the uh I I I can't qualify the short-term loss for the long-term gain but I know that um this is a measure that that that just gets the ball rolling for us to be able to pursue um more optimal outcomes with regard to finance down the road um we don't want anybody to leave we want everybody to stick around because um the LEAP program is wonderful uh the culture of of of of campuses is wonderful um and it can be created and

179maintained in other other places throughout the district the proposed location uh good elementary school it's a wonderful campus um it's currently IB campus um it it's got a huge plus a huge upside to that um but um it there's we don't want anybody to leave um certainly uh but um that's that's a possibility but that's something that we uh it's goes back to the tough conversation that I was mentioning earlier I mean these are conversations that we've got to have and the decisions that we've got to make because long term we're faced with making these tough decisions because of the the landscape that we're currently looking at and working within um on June six the wart representative gave us a 10-year Outlook but I remember one of her comments was this wasn't Armageddon but it

180could be so please excuse me I'd like to talk to him thank you um so why the fast Rush why the quick move and I know I I I know the timelines and I appreciate all that but I just feel like with a tenure forecast and a healthy fund balance and everyone doing their job to their capacity with the taxpayers money please help me or just answer that if you can well we we have a I'm un sure that that's a question that really we can expect Mr Moore to answered for us as a board we've got a proposal that we have to make and uh we've heard a lot of information that supports that and I we've had a lot of time here I'm certainly welcome to take more time if we have more

181questions but other than that I think well I mean I feel like she didn't think it was of utmost urgency and to say this wasn't Armageddon who didn't say it's Ur this wfor in our June 6 meeting I'm I'm happy to answer the question thank you Chris um we have uh like I mentioned we have a sustained gradual uh decline in our attendance so over the course of the last 10 years we have lost 2,000 students in 10 years we've lost 1,200 students in 5 years and that forecast shows that that's going to continue for the next five years we'll lose 1100 more students and so it's it's not Armageddon I think Armageddon is happening in southern Dallas County where where they're losing 16 to 32% of students our decline is not that drastic but

182it is still a measured not notable decline of of 2,000 students over 10 years um and in 5,000 more that's 3,000 students over 15 years um excuse me 3,000 students over 10 years and so um that's a measured noticeable decrease that um it it's not Armageddon um I will agree but it's something that's significant enough that we've got to do something about it um and if we don't look at doing something about it right now the repercussions are are are just going to continue growing and and the the task will become more daunting down the road for us I think thank you other questions board members I see no other questions then I will go back to the idea that we have is that uh a proposed consolidation of central Forno mcoy and long uh

183and the corresponding proposed changes to Elementary m Middle and High School attendance zones has been brought to us as a possible motion I lay then as possible motion do we have a second we have a second okay any further discussion board members I just have um a comment um I want to thank each person that has uh uh reached out to me whether it be a phone call a meeting or an email I appreciate the advocacy demonstrated uh by all um I have read every single email the great majority of the emails I have received have been filled with thoughtful comments and many questions that I used uh extensively for my own followup so with everyone uh received and read um but admittedly not all rep applied to and I apologize um I thank you

184for taking the time to do so and I appreciate the engagement um I Heard the frustration surrounding the process uh and the timelines I can absolutely empathize with that but we have been watching our enrollment and our financials each and every single year with a delicate balance of cautious optimism and trepidation there is always room for continuous Improvement but there has been extensive effort by this and prior boards as well as current and past administration to change our course we have pushed for spending reductions reviews of systems and processes program reviews and facility Improvement evaluations to try and find efficiencies to ensure we remain effective on longterm basis in our pursuit of high expectations for all there have been different marketing campaigns and advertising to highlight what is fabulous about cfbisd additionally efforts to showcase

185our or shift existing programs and introduce new programs to addra attract students to cfbisd yet with every system Improvement every cost savings measure every program adjustment and every process change we have still ended up in a position that not one single School District least of all cfbisd wants to be in no matter the outcome this evening I have complete and unwavering faith in our campus administrators and more importantly in our cfbisd teachers that they will continue to welcome each and every student through the doors of all of our wonderful campuses across the district I know they will continue to focus on our why and that is success for all cfbisd students thank you thank you Mr Bic other comments board members throughout this process and leading up to tonight it has been my intent to

186listen to everyone that has called texted requested a meeting I've read every email and done my very best to respond to as many as I possibly could in the hours of every day I've analyzed multiple sources of data and ultimately had to determine which were most valid in shaping my decision at its core I believe this is a right versus right decision I would be right to vote to keep the schools open because it honors the invaluable roles that schools play the teachers who love where they work and pour into our students every every single day the families who cherish the sense of the community and value the highquality education that is provided in our schools and the neighborhoods that take pride in their schools yet I would be right to vote to close some

187schools in rezone considering the long-term sustainability and the expectation to serve the needs of all students within the district and support the continued opportunities for our students that the community has come to expect of this District as a taxpayer a parent a homeowner in the in one of the proposed School closure zones an advocate for public education I have searched for a perfect solution and quite frankly one does not exist and that weighs heavy on me the facts we space are Stark for the past two years we've operated under a deficit budget making while making strategic Cuts over multiple years before this as Mr herbach said we've reviewed multiple angles we are faced with rising cost in every area partially unfunded mandates and the reality that our resources are strained it is the responsibility of

188this District to educate every student who walks through our doors even as the state fails to provide adequate funding for The Unique needs of every single child we cannot continue to rely on our fund balance or our savings account like it's a credit card to cover operating expenses it is not sustainable and as you have seen tonight this is not going to be materialized overnight it is going to take time and we to Value the Educators we have we have to make some changes additionally Nationwide Statewide and here locally post-pandemic achievement data shows students need additional reading and math interventions to be performing on grade level beyond that we are charged with creating Pathways for all students to Excel and succeed beyond graduation for whatever Endeavor they strive for while also attending to the needs

189of the whole child our greatest need in my opinion is very clear we need highly qualified skilled teachers and support staff who are committed to equipping our children the future Workforce with the tools to solve problems and Thrive as we prepare for the next fiscal year we will continue to face difficult decisions but our Focus must remain on finding a way to balance the budget while keeping the resources as close to the classroom as possible as a board it is our duty to ensure a sustainable future that serves every single child I want to thank the students because I know that this is going to impact you and I want to thank you for being willing to speak in front of people that are behind a a a Podium here um and I want to

190thank the community for engaging in this process your feedback has challenged my thinking it's deepened my commitment and it has made me really think about my thoughtful questions that I ask in this process as we move forward I would ask that we Channel our efforts towards progress one that supports the academic and social emotional needs of all students while prioritizing our high quality teachers and the support staff across this District as we work to fulfill our mission to bring a brighter future for every student we serve thank you Mrs hille and other board members Miss Brady first I'd like to say thank you to all of you who have reached out I read every email and like Mr BK probably haven't responded to all of them and I apologize your passions are very clear during

191my document review I actually learned that leap was actually born at Country Place and was moved to McCoy to improve enrollment years ago regardless of what happens here tonight I hope that you will join the thousands of Texans speaking out to our legislature to appropriately fund our public schools first please remember that just like parents make financial decisions that are best for their whole family trustees must do the same for our big family thank you thank you part I also want to thank all the mini children that emailed me I really appreciate that as a mother I can understand and empathize with all of you parents out there who are struggling um and trying to save your kids schools I appreciate all of you who took so much time to reach out to me to

192meet with me to discuss things with me and I just think as I have told as I told one parent I think the example that we set to our kids and show our kids when we're advocating for something is something that they they can only see by example so I know that whatever the outcome is our children are watching your children are watching you as you are advocating for them and for their school schols and I can imagine they are so proud and you have taught them so many lessons through this process so I just want to thank you I too want to say thank you for the engagement from our uh all of our schools uh all the parents and children outside of the schools that are up for consolidation it's been a great

193testimony of the strength of our family here in Carolton forers branch and it does mean a lot to me I too am a parent that moved from Farmers Branch to North Carolton to educate my kids in rainwater and I know exactly your sentiments what you're going through and I really do appreciate everything You' done thank you it is a a hard night I've been a part of this district for a lot of years and as we sit here facing incredibly difficult decisions I am proud that this board uh has worked with all of us together and we appreciate so much uh input and uh information that you all have brought we have a motion on the table it has been seconded and uh I will ask now all of those in favor of the motion

194please indicate by raising your hand okay does Carolyn do you wish to vote no I do so the vote is six in favor and one opposed want to make sure that we got your vote recorded correctly okay [Music] the next the final item on our agenda is comments from board members is there anything else that we wish to say okay seeing none I believe we have come to the end of our agenda and uh I will call this meeting concluded at 10:04 e