001like to welcome everybody out to our meeting for November 17th, uh, 2025, Lake Dallas Independent School District Board of Trustees. At this time, I'd like to ask everybody to join the board in a moment of silence. Thank you very much. Now I'd ask everybody to please stand as the Lake Dallas Falcon Band drum majors will lead us in the pledges of allegiance. I guess that's where it helps with drum majors to be able to do this and everybody stay together. We weren't looking. So anyway, well, I appreciate that. Thanks a lot. We'll move on to our students and staff reports and recognitions. The first of which is the Lake City's Fire Department fire safety contest winners. And we'll hear from our elementary school principles, Carrie Blevens, Jennifer Bryant, and Ashley Fay. In no particular order,
002I guess there. Good evening, Dr. Brown of Trustees. Tonight, we are proud to recognize our students who participated in this year's annual fire safety contest held in partnership with the Lake City's fire department. This year's theme was an especially important one, safety with lithium ion batteries in the home. Students learned how to identify common household items that use lithium ion batteries and how to handle them and charge them safely. Our second graders demonstrated their learning by creating safety posters and our fifth graders shared their knowledge through informational essays. The winners were announced during the Lake City's Fire Department open house event on October 25th where families, firefighters, and community community members gathered to celebrate fire safety. Tonight, we are excited to celebrate these outstanding students and their achievements. >> Good evening. Our first group of
003honores is our second grade poster contest winners. Each of these students created a thoughtful, eye-catching poster that showed their understanding of lithium ion battery safety in a way that was both creative and kid-friendly. We are proud to recognize, if you'll come up when we call your name, Addison Jones from Shady Shores Elementary and Mariah Vasquez from Lake Dallas Elementary. As part of their award, each student enjoyed a very special experience. They get to have a ride to school on a fire truck. So, our local firefighters provided an unforgettable morning complete with lights, smiles, and a cheering welcome from their classmates. So, we're excited to have that happen. >> Next, we honor our fifth grade essay contest winners. These students wrote clear, informative essays focused on fire safety and the safe use of lithium ion ion
004batteries in the home. Their writing showed strong understanding, responsible thinking, and excellent communication skills. We proudly recognize Riley Himl from Corinth Elementary, Adeline Gutierrez from Lake Dallas Elementary, and Rub Ruby Randolph from Shady Shores Elementary. Each winner received a tablet provided by the Lake City's Fire Department to support their continued learning and creativity. We are very proud of all of our students who participated this year and we thank our local fire department for their continued support of safety education in our schools. I wasn't paying attention. Her was paying too close attention. We got to move on to our next item, which is the Shady Shores Elementary yearbook cover contest winners. And we'll hear from Jennifer Bryant, principal at Shady Shores. Hi. >> Hi again. Good evening, Dr. Brown, President Stacy, and Board of Trustees. It
005is my great honor to recognize some outstanding artists on our campus. So, at Shady Shores Elementary, we use a lot of student voice. Um, and it has just become part of our culture and who we are and what we do and how we do things at Shady Shores. So, over the last few years, um, nine to be exact, we have showcase student art as the cover of our, um, Shady Shores Elementary yearbook. So, each fall we hold a contest. These are a couple of the ones throughout the years with our different themes. This year our cover contest was the legacy of a falcon. So these are the only parameters that we give students. They have to use a blank sheet of 8 by1 white paper for their drawing. Has to be vertical. Notice it's elementary,
006tall like a tree. Make it colorful. Use markers, crayons, paint, or colored pencils. Make sure it's tied to our theme of legacy of a falcon. and it has to have the words Shady Shores Elementary 202526 and Legacy of a Falcon. That's it. The rest is completely up to our third, fourth, and fifth graders and their creativity. And I'm proud to recognize some of our amazing artist leaders. So, first up is Knox Cunningham. I'll showcase his work so you can see it since they haven't been scanned yet. You can see the amazing artistry. Lots of Falcons. We're very Falcon proud. Next up is our third grader, Alexandra Salazar. And next up is our fourth grader, Berkeley Martin. And our fourth grader, Branson Jenkins. >> Awesome. Okay. So, these four will be recognized on the back of
007our cover because we try to put as much art into the yearbook as possible by students. So, each of theirs will be showcased on the back. And our final front cover winner is fourth grader Ya Pankoff. Showing your beautiful art. You show it up high. Proud. Loud and proud. All right, let me give them their certificates real quick. Knox, let's see. Sasha, Darling, Berkeley. So, we cannot wait to see the final product from the publisher as soon as we get our final proof to show. Um, but we just love how much student voice we have on our campus and we're really proud of these amazing, amazing leaders. So, thank you very much. It's a good job by you guys. That's awesome. I can't draw like that. It have mine would have all stick figures and
008stuff on it. Our uh next item is Lake Dallas Elementary Student Advisory Council. We're going to hear from Carrie Blevens, our principal there at Corinth Elementary or excuse me, Lake Dallas Elementary. >> Good evening, Dr. Brown and board of trustees. Tonight, I am proud to introduce a very special group of students from our campus who have been selected to serve on the Lake Dallas Elementary Student Advisory Council. This council brings together student leaders from across the district to share their ideas, perspectives, and experiences directly with our superintendent. Throughout the year, they participate in structured conversations that help inform decisions, strengthen programs, and improve the overall experience in our schools. I'm excited to recognize the outstanding students who will be representing LDE this year. Shown here are the five students from our campus who are invited
009to join this year's student advisory council. These students were chosen because they demonstrate leadership, responsibility, and a genuine commitment to supporting their classmates and improving our school community. Throughout the year, they'll meet with Dr. Brown to share their ideas and how we can continue to strengthen student success across the district. And I'd like to recognize each of them now. Weston Boliviver, Matthew Morgan, Robin Bousso, Alicia Schmidt and Gabby Gditis. We are incredibly proud of these students and grateful for their willingness to represent our campus. Great job. All right, once again, great job, y'all. Our next recognition is FFA success at the State Fair of Texas and Heart of Texas Fair. And we're going to hear from our FFA sponsor, Tanner McQueen. Kachchow. I bet you've never heard that before, have you? >> Uh, never. Good
010evening, Dr. Brown and board of trustees. Uh I'm here tonight to bring recognition to our FFA president Tatum Harding and vice president uh Ruby Jackson. Uh I wasn't able to be a part of the whole process of this. Um so with all the stuff at State Fair of Texas, so I thought it was fitting to have them come up and speak about their own achievements. >> Hi, my name is Tatum. Um we went to the state fair in heart of Texas this year. For the state fair, I won reserve supreme champion for the first time and reserve Hampshire breed champion. And then for heart of Texas, I won reserve breed champion and I got to compete in the showmanship show and I won second overall senior showmanship. Oh, I did myself. My bad. >> Um,
011I did myself. Sorry. um reserve champion senior showman and fourth overall showman out of I think 120. Hi, I'm Ruby. Um I went in at the state fair and I won my breed with my Chester guilt and that's it. I didn't have an idea that the pig was that large. I was thinking one of these things. Okay, moving right along. Our next item is our Falcon Band UIL region 2 marching success. And we're here from Michaela Pile, our Lake Dallas High School band director. Hi. >> Hi. Good evening. >> How's it going? Great. Good. Um, I'm here to recognize our hardworking and talented Falcon Band students and celebrate their success with you all. So, our Falcon band met for the first time this summer on July 21st to begin learning our marching band show for
012the 2025 year. Our students work hard all summer long, and then throughout the school year to learn and produce their show. This year, we had 18 performances. The Falcon Band performs at football games, at parent performances, and at marching contests. Our 18 performances included two finals performances at the Aubrey Marching Classic and the Golden Triangle Marching Classic at UIL. This year, the Lake Dallas band received superior first division ratings from all three of our judges, which is the highest rating that a marching band can receive at the region level. and the Lake Dallas High School band advanced to the 4A area B contest and we performed on October 25th, 2025. I would like to recognize our two drum majors of the Falcon band. They are Ethan Glown and Esther Kitura. Thank you so much. >>
013Oh, just racking up success there. Appreciate it. Good job, y'all. Our uh next recognition is Lake Dallas Middle School Junior Thespian Festival Success. We're going to hear from Nicole Propes, the Lake Dallas Middle School theater director. Hello everyone. Uh, yeah, that's right. This October, 12 Lake Dallas Middle School Theater students attended the Texas Thespian Junior Festival. This was our third year to attend, but our first to have students participate in the competition aspect of the event. Please join me in recognizing one of our outstanding Is this the way we go? I go this way. our outstanding middle school theater student who earned a superior rating in the contrasting monologue category. This impressive score qualifies the student to advance and represent our school at the International Thespian Society's national event in Indiana this summer. Out of
01437 participants in the monologue category, only eight scored high enough to achieve this distinction. This accomplishment reflects not only the exceptional talent and dedication of this eighth grader, but also the bright future of Lake Dallas Middle School Theater as we grow into our second year of establishing a full program. Thank you for raising the bar and setting an outstanding example for our theater students. All right, we'll move on to our next uh success, which is Lake Dallas Middle School TMEA Region 2 Honor Choir Success. We'll hear from Christina Reed Irwin, our middle school choir teacher. >> Hi, good evening. Uh tonight, I just wanted to share a little bit about our origin choir and our students who uh were recognized to be a part of that group. Uh on October 28th, we took 41 middle
015school seventh and eighth graders to perform at Aubry Middle School. Uh it was a blind audition that they performed for three pairs of judges and then they take the top 20 students from each section as part of the all region choir. Um and then they got to perform on uh November 3rd at Dallas Baptist University. they got a little bit of a taste of uh what it was like to be on a college campus and what it was like to work with um some high school and college professors. So when I call your name, if you will please come up and be recognized. Destiny Bera. Amita Beiji, Zoe Osorio, Villoan, Elijah Morrison, David Waters, Gio Guerrero, Colton Smith, Devin Mills, Emil Carunise, Lonel Mendes, and we have one more, Paisley Ray, who I don't think
016made it tonight. Um, but if you'll give them a round of applause. They spent countless hours um, studying their music and preparing for this rehearsal. Um, I do want to recognize that this is the first year that we've had so many boys make the choir. Last year we had one boy and this year we had seven, which is amazing for our growth. So, congratulations. I'm very proud of your achievement. Okay, sit up. Thank you guys. Thank you. again. Great job, y'all. Appreciate it. All right, we'll move on to our next item, which is our November teachers and employees of the month. Dr. Brown. >> Yes, sir. Those employees were recognized a couple of weeks ago at our monthly employee of the month breakfast. And that video will play while we're in close session. >> All
017right. We'll now move to uh executive session. >> Excuse me. Oh, yeah. That's right. I always forget. I'm sorry y'all. Don't go anywhere. We have to take pictures with y'all. They don't write it on my script. So, I blame Dr. Brown. in the same order that we recognized you all. We're starting up and you guys want to take You're welcome to come to the center. All right. The open session of the meeting will adjourn. The board of trustees will reconvene an executive session pursuant to one or more of the sections of the Texas Open Meetings Act, chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code. The board of trustees will reconvene in open session to take any final action, decision, or vote on a matter deliberated in executive session. It is 558. Right. We are now back
018in open session. and it is 7:06 p.m. Our next item is a public hearing. We'll open this public hearing at 7:06 and it's regarding Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas report. We'll hear from our CFO Anne Han. Good evening. Think you might need to turn your mic on. >> Is that better? >> Oh, much better. >> Tonight we will hold our public hearing to go over our school's first report. This hearing is required by law and we hold a hearing annually. FIRST stands for Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas. It measures uniform indicators of the district's financial management performance. This year we'll be looking at the 232 24 financial numbers and that's since that's our most recent audited um report that's out there. We're currently auditing the 20 actually auditors are in the office this
019week for our 2425 year. So this is based on the 232 24 school year. So just a overview of the indicators. Indicator number one, was the an annual financial report filed on time? Yes, it was. So, we passed that indicator. Was there an unmodified opinion in the annual financial report? And that means, were there no exceptions found? And there were none, so we passed with the yes. Was the district in compliance with payment terms of all debt agreements at fiscal year end? We were, so we received yes. Did the district make timely payments to the teacher retirement system, Texas Workforce Commission, the IRS, and other governmental agencies? All payments were made timely, so we passed with a yes. Was the net position reported in the governmental activities column, which is in our audit, greater than
020a zero? And it was, so we pass that indicator as well. Number six, was the average change in fund balance over three years less than a 25% decrease or did the current year's assigned and unassigned fund balance exceed 75 days of operational expenditures. In the 23 24 school year, we increased reserves and we also have increased reserves for the past several years. Um so we passed that because in relation to expenditures our um revenues exceeded them. Was the number of days of cash on hand and current investments in the general fund for the district sufficient to cover operating expenditures? Yes, they were. TA recommends about 90 days. Um and we came in at 126 days of cash on hand. Was a measure of current assets to current liabilities ratio for the district sufficient to cover
021short-term debt? the ratio was and so we met that and also got a 10. Number nine, did the district's general fund reserves exceed I'm sorry, revenue equal or exceed expenditures? Again, since we added to reserves, our revenues exceeded expenditures, so we received a 10. Indicator number 10, it was not being evaluated this year, so we received an automatic 10. On number 11 was the ratio of long-term liabilities to total assets for the school district sufficient to support long-term solveny. We again received as before on this indicator due to um debt from our bond election as I've said I believe last year when we will continue to make bond payments and the ratio will go down which will cause our score to go up hopefully you know in years to come. Number 12 was a debt
022service coverage ratio sufficient to meet the required debt service. We also received a eight again in that area this year. Um and that score will increase as property values increase and we continue to make pay off our debt which will cause the ratio to decrease. So again hopefully in a few years that will um increase. Number 13. Was the administrative cost ratio less than the threshold allowed? we received a 10. Um the administrative cost ratio basically looks at central admin and instructional admin cost to straight instructional expenditures, library, staff training and counseling. Um for a district our size, the ratio is like 0.151 and our ratio was 0.0982. Number 14. Did the district not have a 15% decline in studentto staff ratio over three years? We did not. So, we received a 10 out of
02310. Was the district's average daily attendance within the allotted range of the district's bannual pupil projections submitted to TEA? Our projections were in the allotted range, so we scored a five out of five on that. Number 16. Comparison of PES data and audit data result in an aggregate variance of less than 3%. We passed. Our variance was 0.01%. Oh, dang it. Number 17. Did the external independent auditor report that the financial report was free of any instances of material weaknesses in internal controls? They did not find any, so we passed that indicator. Number 18, did the external independent auditor indicate our finan financial reports were free of any material non-compliance for grants? We were in compliant in all areas, so we received a 10 out of 10. Number 19. Did the school district post the
024required financial information on its website? And we did. So, we passed with a five out of five for that indicator. Number 20. Did the school board members discuss the district property values at a board meeting within 120 days before the district's adopted budget? Yes. Um, we discussed property values probably more than once over the budget process. Um, so we passed that indicator. Did the district receive an adjusted repayment schedule for more than one fiscal year for an overallocation of SFP funds due to a financial hardship? And we did not. So we passed that indicator as well. So overall we received a 92 which we're very proud of because that is the highest rating of superior achievement. So within the first report there are also additional disclosures that we must provide. And so we're required to
025report on superintendent and board member expenditures for the 2425 school year. So I know that can get a little bit confusing. The financial information is from 2324 school year. Superintendent and board expenditures is from 2425 school year. So here's just an overview of expenditures for the 12 months ending August 31st, 2025. In addition, we must disclose if the superintendent received any gifts that had a value of $250 or more in the aggregate for a 12-month period or received any outside compensation or consulting fees. And Dr. Brown did not in either area. And we also must disclose if any board member received a gift of $250 or more in the aggregate for a 12-month period, and there were none. And the board must also disclose if they did any business transactions with the district. And that's
026also we did not have any. So, since this is a public hearing, um, are there any questions from the board or the audience at this time? >> Does the board have any questions for Ann and we'll ask for any questions from the public or comment from the public? All right, we have none. We will close the public hearing. It is 7:14. We'll move on to our information items. And this is regarding Lake City's Education Foundation teacher grant donation. We're gonna hear from Carla Landram and Jerry Blazewick. And Tina Hicks. I was about to say they misspelled Tina Hicks. They spelled it Blazewick. They're with the Lake City's Education Foundation. We appreciate them greatly, too. All three of them. We do. >> Thank you. Good evening, President Stacy, Dr. Brown and members of the board. I'm
027joined tonight by LCEF President Jerry Blazewick and Vice President of Scholarships and Grants Tina Hicks. On behalf of the Lake City's Education Foundation, it is our honor to present Lake Dallas ISD with this check for $57,000 to support innovative teacher grants across the district. With this contribution, LCEF's total investment in innovative teacher grants since the first awards in 2000 reaches an incredible $565,000, a milestone made possible by the generosity of our community and the dedication of our donors. These grants will be officially awarded in January during our LCEF prize patrol, one of our favorite days of the year as we surprise teachers and celebrate their creative ideas to enhance student learning. Thank you for your continued partnership and for supporting a community that believes in investing in our kids, our schools, our future. Yeah. Can
028we get a picture with y'all? >> Even Jerry, too. Yes. >> For those that don't know, two weeks ago, Lance won the $3,000 also. at the jail that nightmare. Great job. Thank you all. Okay, we'll move on to our next information item, which is our priority three strategic plan update, and we're going to hear from Denise Kennedy, our director of student initiatives. How's it going? >> Great. How are you? >> I'm I'm sufficient. >> So, just sufficient? >> Absolutely. Well, okay. Well, let's see if we can change that. >> Go for it. >> All right. Um, good evening, Dr. Brown, President Stacy, and members of the school board. As Mr. Stacy said, my name is Denise Kennedy. I'm the director of student initiatives, and tonight I'm here to discuss priority three of our district strategic
029plan, parent and family community support. And let's see if I can Which button do I push? Oh, that one. As you know, there are two objectives under the priority three header. This presentation is going to focus on objective 3.2, our parent, family, and community engagement. Our parent and family engagement efforts have historically been extremely active, and the beginning of this school year has been no different. I'm going to highlight just a handful of the unique opportunities and events that we have hosted, but I assure you that this is just the tip of the iceberg. You're going to see a lot of pictures, which is a true representation of just how active our district has been. We'll start with um our elementary campuses provide tailored campus events year round that provide additional academic opportunities for our
030community and our students. Um here we're highlighting two that have already taken place this semester. Lake Dallas Elementary held a literacy night that had 35 in attendance and Corinth Elementary had a steam night that had 75 in attendance. Here is um uh pictures from our commun our annual community breakfast which had nearly 200 attendees from our community. The breakfast and safety presentation was followed by a ribbon cutting and student led tours of the new CTE building. This year's parent education night was rebranded as Falcon Family Night. Math isn't scary. The new format allowed us to focus on one curriculum element, math, while also providing access to district and community resources. We had 13 curriculum tables which represented math activities from grades preK to 12 and 12 district and community resource tables which included um Lake
031um Lake Dallas ISD special programs, the Lake Dallas library and LDHS academic advising resources. There were also four food and beverage trucks on site to encourage attendance. We saw a 200% increase in attendance over last year's event. We had more than 100 families participate from all five campuses, which is approximately a 4% of our district population. Donuts with Dads is an annual engagement event that is held on all three elementary campuses and is a highlight of the beginning of each semester or the beginning of the semester. All three campuses saw a combined attendance of well over 1,100 people. Approximately 59% of our elementary dads, granddads, and uncles participated. Our Corinth Elementary fall festival is an annual PTA event held at Corinth Elementary School and is a community favorite. This year's event saw 500 plus in
032attendance, which equates to 74% of the campus population. The third annual Corinth Rehabilit Rehabilitation Center pep rally is an event that reaches an underserved part of our community and is one of the most important things that we do. For this event, the band, drill team, varsity football, varsity cheer, and varsity volleyball came together to provide entertainment for the residents of Corinth Rehabilitation Center. This year we had roughly 300 students on site from five high school organizations who participated which um equated to pro approximately 24% of our high school population. One of my favorite events, Meet the Falcons. One of the biggest community events each year is Meet the Falcons. This single event brings numerous community and school groups together for one purpose to celebrate being a Falcon. Anyone who attended knows that the stands were
033packed. This year we had 18 district and community um groups represented. Many steppers, high steppers, honor guard, band, cheer, varsity football, baseball, softball, LCFCA, football and cheer, LDHs cross country, our athletic trainers, volleyball, varsity baseball, tennis, golf, and girls and boys soccer. And we can't forget the annual homecoming parade and community pep rally. This single event brings four communities together to celebrate bringing a falcon and to help kick off our homecoming activities. And as I said, that's simply the tip of the iceberg. Other events that were hosted um to date include Lake Dallas night at the Texas Rangers game where 120 tickets were sold. Um, Lake Dallas Middle School held a monster mash that um had 336 students and 31 parent volunteers in attendance. LDHS held their first ever FASA night um and was able
034to provide um uh services to 20 um 20 families who were in attendance. The Falcon Band um gave multiple parent performances with approximately hundred in attendance. Our um sorry, our LDHS choir concert had more than a hundred in attendance. Our theater department um gave their fall production and had more than 500 in attendance across three days. Um Falcon Insider enjoyed its first um its first event with 27 participants. The middle school fall concert saw more than 200 in attendance. Our first responder night at the varsity football game had approximately 750 adults and students in the stands. countless um and also countless district athletic events. Um high school, middle school football, high school, middle school volleyball, high school, middle school cross country, fall tennis, and golf. And here are a few other important numbers to keep
035in mind. Our PTA numbers show 629 parents involved in five campus PTA groups across the district. Our booster numbers include 266 parents involved in our four largest high school organizations. From the end of July 2025 until today, Lake Dallas ISD has been host to more than 60 district, family, and community engagements. These endeavors encompass five campuses, more than 1,000 parent volunteers, and includes more than 20 student organizations. And we're just getting started. This is what we have on the calendar moving forward and it's incomplete. So, it's safe to say that um good things are happening in Lake Dallas ISD and we'll continue to spread the good word about what we have to offer. >> Thank you. >> All right. Is there any questions or comments from the board? >> Keep up the good work. >>
036Thank you very much. Do you do music to everything that you do? >> It's always playing in my head. >> Oh, there you go. >> It's Yes, >> that counts. >> That's right. I have my >> All right. Our next item is the consent agenda. The consent agenda is those routine items that can be handled in one motion and vote. Do I have any questions or comments regarding the consent? If not, I'll entertain a motion. >> I move to approve. >> Motion to approve by Mr. Smith. Do I have a second? >> Second by Mr. Applebee. Is there any further discussion? If not, all those in favor of approval indicate. And that passes unanimous. Thank you. We'll move on to our action items, which is only one item is consideration approval of a resolution to
037cast votes for the Denton Central Appraisal District Board of Trustees. Board of Directors, sorry. Have it. Dr. Brown, >> good evening, sir. >> Good morning. >> All right. So, you have attached uh copies of the submissions for the candidates for the board of directors. You all have 25 votes. You can um distribute those votes in any way that you guys see fit. And if you'll look at the last page of the of the packet, we can list each of the candidates and split the votes or you can give all the votes to one candidate. That's for y'all to decide. >> All right. Thank you. Is there any discussion on this? I don't know if y'all remember last year, Mr. Heniper, he came in and presented to the board, which I found to be very uh
038helpful. And uh I also know that he went and visited the current city council as well. So, I think that's pretty telling of his commitment to to that position. So, for what it's worth, any other questions or comments? Yep. Very nice. All right. All right. If there's no other questions or comments, I'll entertain a motion. So, Mr. Applebee uh wants to cast. Say it one more time. >> Okay. So, uh Mr. Trap will be uh makes a motion to cast all votes for Mr. Hener. Do I have a second? >> I'll second. >> Second by Mr. Bear. Is there any further discussion? If not, all those in favor of approval, please indicate. And that passes unanimous. Thank you. This is one I hope I don't get confused on. It's our calendar events. Dr. Brown, I
039did good, didn't I? >> You did really well, sir. Thank you. So, you have a a list of events. There are lots going on uh for the last week of uh of November and into December. Um we do have Thanksgiving feast going on at each of our campuses this week and then our kids go home on Thursday and staff goes home on Friday and then I'll let you review all of the fun exciting uh presentations and Christmas performances and all of that in December. >> All right. Appreciate it. Dr. Brown if uh we have no need to go into executive session. Correct. All right. That is all the business we have for tonight. It is 7:29 and we are adjourned. Thank you.