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THIS MEETING IS BEING HELD BY AN HYBRID VIDEO CONFERENCING AND IT IT'S BEING LIVE STREAM BY THE COUNTY.
ANY REQUESTS, WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA.
WE DID NOT GET ANY PUBLIC COMMENT SUBMITTED TODAY.
SO WE'RE DOWN TO THE BUILDING FOR PART-TIME EMPLOYEES IS TANYA CROSBY.
SO AS A CONTINUATION OF THE DISCUSSION ABOUT HELD ON, SHE, UH, THERE WAS, UM, A NEED TO CLARIFY THE PROCESS AND METHODOLOGY OF PROVIDING BONUSES C UH, THAT WERE APPROVED FOR FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES.
UM, CLARIFICATION NEEDED TO BE FOR PART-TIME.
AND SO AS ORIGINALLY RECOMMENDED, WE WERE USING AN AVERAGE OF OUR CNA IN A TWO MONTH WINDOW OF TIME THAT OCCURRED BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND MARCH 15.
UM, THE NEW SCENARIO PROVIDED TODAY, UH, IS, UH, CAPTURES THE HOURS, WORKED OF ALL OF OUR PART-TIME EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE, UH, DO NOT HAVE FULL-TIME POSITIONS WITH THE DISTRICT.
UM, AND THE DATE, THE TIMEFRAME OF THE HOURS WORK IN THIS SCENARIO ARE FROM JULY ONE, 2020 THROUGH APRIL 19TH.
AND SO I WANT TO JUST FIND A VERY SIMPLE CALCULATION THAT REALLY DIDN'T INVOLVE COMPLICATED FORMULAS OR, UH, YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT, UH, WERE DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT HAVING A CALCULATOR, UH, RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.
SO WE WENT WITH THE CONCEPT OF USING THE HOURS TOTAL HOURS WORKED BY EMPLOYEE.
SO, UM, PROTECT THE EMPLOYEES NAMES.
OF COURSE, WE'VE REPLACED THEM WITH AN, A NUMBER TO THE LEFT-HAND SIDE.
UH, THE NEXT COLUMN IS A TOTAL HOURS WORKED.
UM, OF COURSE ALL OF THESE ARE PART-TIME STATUS AND THEN PROVIDED THE STAIR-STEP APPROACH, UM, UH, VARIOUS, UH, BONUS AMOUNTS FOR, FOR EACH CATEGORY OF EMPLOYEES.
SO, UM, WE SORTED THESE BY, FROM LARGEST NUMBER OF HOURS WORK TO SMALLEST.
AND SO I, I ASSUME THAT WHEN WE WOULD DO THIS, THAT MAYBE WE HAVE SOME NATURAL BREAKS BETWEEN CATEGORIES, UM, FOR VARYING LEVELS OF HOURS WORK DURING THE YEAR.
AND THERE SEEMED TO BE SOME NATURAL BREAKS.
SO I HAVE SHADED THEM IN VARIOUS COLORS, UM, AND CATEGORIZE THEM.
AND IN A WAY THAT I FEEL FEEL IS VERY SIMPLE AND, UH, EQUITABLE FOR THE EMPLOYEES.
UM, AND ALSO THE ONLY CHANGE I MADE WAS ADDING AN ADDITIONAL CATEGORY OF A $100 STIPEND FOR THOSE IN THE SMALLER NUMBERS OF HOURS WORKED THREE A YEAR.
SO TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION IS TO, UM, INCLUDE, UH, PAY A ONE-TIME BONUS FOR ACTIVE PART-TIME STAFF WHO HAVE WORKED FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SINCE JULY ONE.
THIS BONUS WOULD BE PAID FROM THE GENERAL OPERATING BUDGET IN THE FOLLOWING AMOUNTS UP TO 99 HOURS FROM, SO FROM ONE TO 99 HOURS WORKED WOULD RECEIVE $100.
EACH FROM 100 TO 299 HOURS WORKED WOULD BE $200, 300 TO THREE 99 WOULD BE $400, 400
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AND 799 HOURS WORK WOULD BE 600.AND FOR THOSE THAT WERE OVER 800 HOURS, PLUS IN THAT TIMEFRAME WOULD BE RECEIVE AN $800, UM, AS BONUS.
SO, UM, THE ONE THING I WANTED TO POINT OUT THERE, UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE LISTING, THEY ARE 77 EMPLOYEES IN THIS CATEGORY.
UM, SO IT, IT WAS, IT DID EXPAND THE SCOPE OF THE EMPLOYEES THAT WERE AFFECTED.
UM, AND SO I LOOKED VERY CLOSELY AT THE EMPLOYEES IN THE ONE HOUR TO A HUNDRED HOUR OR 99 HOUR TIMEFRAME AND REALIZED THAT SOME OF THEM ARE BUS DRIVERS WHO WERE DOING MEAL DISTRIBUTION IN JULY AND AUGUST.
UM, SOME OF THEM WERE MENTORING, UM, SPORADICALLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR DURING DIFFERENT TIMES.
UM, WE HAD SOME, SO I MENTIONED BUS DRIVERS, UM, SOME PART-TIME FOOD SERVICE STAFF, SOME, UH, VARIOUS TUTORS, UH, THAT WORKED SPORADICALLY.
UM, SOME ARE IN THE FALL, SOME WORK IS IN THE FALL, SOME IN THE SPRING, SOME WORK, BOTH.
UM, BUT I FELT LIKE, UM, IT WAS JUSTIFIED TO PROVIDE SOME FORM OF COMPENSATION THROUGH THIS, UM, TO EACH OF THE EMPLOYEES THAT, THAT, UM, CAME OUT OF THE, UM, THE STUDY.
SO, UH, MANY OF THE EMPLOYEES IN THAT SUBSECTION ARE RETIREES AS WELL.
UM, I KNOW THAT BECAUSE SOME OF THEM ARE MY TEACHERS
SO, UM, ANYWAY, UM, I THINK THAT I LOVED THE OPEN DISCUSSION AND, UM, OVER OUR COMMENT WOULD BE, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS SUGGESTING FOR BETTER VALUE THAT FOLLOWED KNOW TIME WAS
SO I COMMEND YOU FOR BEING ABLE TO, WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK THAT YOU DID ON ESX TUESDAY.
UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE, YOU KNOW, DEFINITELY LISTENED TO, UM, SOME OF THE CONCERNS AND SO ON.
HOW DOES THIS DOLLAR AMOUNT COMPARE TO WHAT THE DOLLAR MOUNTAIN ONES THAT WE HAD BOUGHT OUR PART TIME BONUS WOULD EQUAL THE TOTAL COST COSTUME.
THIS GROUP OF EMPLOYEES IS 23,575.
THE ORIGINAL AMOUNT AS QUOTED IN THE NEW DOCUMENTS WAS 19,000.
SO IT'S JUST A COUPLE OF THOUSAND, ABOUT $4,000 MORE.
AND IT IS SO IT WILL FIT VERY EASILY IN A $3.2 MILLION BUDGET.
IT WAS ALREADY
UH, AND I THINK WE SHOULD GIVE THEM A
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$5,000 VERSUS GIVING, GIVING AND BREAKING IT OUT.SO I JUST WANT TO PUT THAT OUT THERE.
CAN YOU PLEASE SCROLL DOWN? THANK YOU, MR.
THIS IS THE ONE NOW MR. CAMPBELL, THE MOTION CARRIES.
READY FOR THE NEXT TIME, GETTING OUR CONVERSATION AROUND THE 2122, UH, PRELIMINARY BUDGET.
UM, AS YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WERE PREPARING OUR BUDGET LAST SPRING, WE'RE JUST STARTING TO FEEL THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC.
COME ON SCHOOL FOR CLOSED DOWN IN MARCH, PLUS THE GUY AS WELL AS EVERYBODY ELSE, HONESTLY THOUGHT THEY'RE REOPENING THEM OFF THE SHOW.
UM, AND HERE WE ARE OVER A YEAR LATER, STILL THE ECONOMIC AND EMOTIONAL EFFECTS ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY, ACROSS OUR NATION AND THE WORLD.
SO WITHOUT QUESTION, THIS PANDEMIC HAS IMPACTED OUR DAILY LIVES IN MANY WAYS, BOTH ECONOMICALLY AND SOCIALLY, BUT PERHAPS THE BIGGEST EFFECT OF ALL HAS BEEN FELT IN THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN.
MANY OF WHICH ARE PERFORMING BELOW GRADE LEVEL AS A RESULT.
THE GOOD NEWS IS, IS THAT AS YOU PROBABLY NOTICED DURING MY RECENT REPORTING, IT'S COVID 19 CASES CHANGED DURING OUR BOARD MEETINGS.
UH, OUR DISTRICT NUMBERS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY TRENDING DOWNWARD, AND THANKS TO OUR COMMUNITY MEDICAL PARTNERS, OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE HAD NUMEROUS OPPORTUNITIES TO BE VACCINATED AGAINST THE VIRUS.
PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE MAJORITY OF OUR STUDENTS ARE BACK IN THE CLASSROOM FIVE DAYS A WEEK, LEARNING A NEW PERSON AND FINGERS CROSSED LIFE IS BEGINNING TO RETURN TO A SENSE OF NORMALCY.
SOMETHING THAT REALLY PLEASES ME AS WELL AS I'M SURE MANY OF YOU, ONE BRIGHT SPOT THAT HAS COME TO LIGHT THIS YEAR IS THE ACCESSIBILITY THAT ZOOM MEETINGS HAVE AFFORDED FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND MANY INCIDENCES WE'VE HAD INCREASED PARENTAL AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN MEETINGS THAT HAVE BEEN HELD VIRTUALLY BECAUSE OF THE EASE OF LOGGING IN FROM ONE'S HOME WITHOUT HAVING TO ARRANGE CHILDCARE IN A ROW.
ONCE THEY REALIZE ARE SCHEDULED, UM, AS SUCH IN ORDER TO GARNER AS MUCH PARTICIPATION AS POSSIBLE THIS YEAR, WE'LL BE HOLDING OUR PUBLIC BUDGET FORM IN A VIRTUAL FORMAT WITH THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BUDGET THAT WE CAN ANSWER EITHER DURING THE SESSION OR FOLLOWED UP UPON SHORTLY THEREAFTER.
UH, TODAY OUR FINANCE DEPARTMENT WILL BEGIN SHARING SOME OF THE PRELIMINARY GENERAL FUND BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 21, 22 TO INCLUDE SCHEDULED BUDGET INCREASES AND DECREASES AND PROJECTION OF OUR FINANCIAL POSITION FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR, OUR RECOMMENDATION, WHICH COMPLIES WITH WORK POLICY, AS WELL AS STATE AND FEDERAL MANDATE TO ADDRESS THE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT ON MINIMIZING THE IMPACT ON TAXPAYERS, AS YOU WILL SEE, THIS IS A WEALTH OF INFORMATION TODAY.
SO, UH, FIRST OF ALL, WANT TO THINK, UH, CONNIE CROSBY OR CFO AND HER TEAM, OR THEY'RE DILIGENT AND THOROUGH WORK IN PREPARATION FOR TODAY'S PRESENTATION.
UH, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY STAFF, UM, JENNIFER HAMLIN, LOUIE ACKERMAN, AND REGGIE MURPHY.
UM, NOT ONLY THE BUDGET, UH, PREPARATION QUITE AS QUITE AN EFFORT WAS PUT INTO GETTING YOU TO THIS POINT TODAY.
UM, BUT THE EMPLOYEE BONUSES, THEY DID A LOT OF WORK ON THAT AS WELL.
SO IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS, AND I APPRECIATE THEM VERY MUCH AND, YOU KNOW, GREAT TEAM.
UH, THIS IS A PRELIMINARY LOOK AT THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 21, 22.
UM, THERE WILL BE MORE DETAILS TO COME, UM, BUT IT IS RELATIVELY, EVEN THOUGH
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WE'RE ALMOST NEAR THE END OF APRIL, THERE'S STILL A LOT OF INFORMATION TO BE RECEIVED.UM, NOT ONLY FROM LOCAL TAX REVENUE, BUT FROM STATE LEGISLATORS WHO ARE CURRENTLY IN SESSION, UM, WE'LL CONVENE UNTIL PROBABLY ANOTHER MONTH.
SO, UM, THIS IS AN EVER-CHANGING NUMBERS ARE EVER CHANGING.
THE PROJECTIONS ARE EVER CHANGING, AND I WILL BE COMING BACK TO YOU WITH CHANGES IN THESE NUMBERS, AND I'LL TRY TO PROVIDE A ROADMAP OF WHAT WE BELIEVED IT WAS GOING TO BE AND, AND WHAT THE NEW NUMBERS BE, BUT JUST KNOW THAT THIS IS A, AN EVOLVING PROCESS AND, UH, BUT I'LL KEEP YOU INFORMED ALONG THE WAY AS BEST AS I KNOW HOW SO WITH THAT, LET'S GET STARTED AND, UH, TO LOOK AT THE BUDGET SCHEDULE.
SO, UH, WE'VE BEEN WORKING SINCE DECEMBER ON THE BUDGET GATHERING DATA, LOOKING AT ENROLLMENT, UH, MEETING WITH PRINCIPALS ON STAFFING, UM, AND VARIOUS, UH, UH, AND, UH, SENDING OUT BUDGET ALLOCATIONS TO OUR SCHOOLS AND TO, UM, REQUEST, UH, THE NEEDS OF OUR DEPARTMENTS.
UM, SO DECEMBER THROUGH APRIL HAS BEEN A WEALTH OF INFORMATION GATHERING AND, UH, WE DO, UH, AS DR AS MENTIONED EARLIER, WE'RE GOING TO HOLD A VIRTUAL PUBLIC FORUM.
UH, WE'VE ALREADY MET TO DISCUSS THE FORMAT OF THAT AND LOOKED ONLINE TO SEE SOME EXAMPLES OF OTHER DISTRICTS WHO HAVE DONE IT VERY SUCCESSFULLY.
AND SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT A NEW FORMAT THIS YEAR, AND WE'LL BE, AS WE GET A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION, THEN WE'LL DEVELOP THAT A FORUM AND ANNOUNCED A DATE OF POSTING OF THAT FORUM.
UH, IT WILL BE IN THE MONTH OF MAY.
UM, SO THE NEXT BOARD MEETING THAT SCHEDULE IS MAY 18TH.
AND, UM, I'M LOOKING FOR CERTIFICATION AS OF THAT DATE.
SO THERE MAY BE SOME ADDITIONAL, UM, THERE WILL BE SOME ADDITIONAL PRESENTATIONS IN BETWEEN NOW AND THAT DATE, THEN IT WOULD BE NEEDED AND DETAILS OR YOU OKAY.
AND RESPONSES TO ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS THAT YOU HAVE.
UM, AND AGAIN, UH, COUNSEL READINGS ARE MAY 24TH FOR THE FIRST READING, JUNE 14TH AND JUNE 28TH.
SO I HAVE CONTACTED THE COUNTY BUDGET DIRECTOR AND ASKED THAT WE, UM, MOVE BACK HERSHEY READING FROM THE EARLY MAY DATE TO THE LATER MAY DATE.
UM, AND SO THAT WE ARE ABLE TO, SO THAT GIVES US ENOUGH TIME TO GET ANY UPDATES, UM, THAT WE CAN BE NEEDING OR PROCEEDING BETWEEN NOW.
AND THEN JUST LOOKING AT THAT, UM, MAY 24TH DATE, UH, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I DID NOT INCLUDE THAT MAY BE A MONDAY.
SO IF THAT, IF THAT HAPPENS TO, UH, INCORRECTLY FALL IN ON MEMORIAL DAY, IT WILL BE THE FOLLOWING DAY ON THE TUESDAY.
THAT'S TYPICALLY WHAT HAPPENS WITH OUR COUNCIL MEETINGS.
SO I'M GOING TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT DAY.
SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE WE, UH, TALK ABOUT, OR, OR DISPLAY THE STRATEGIC GOALS.
THESE GOALS ARE IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE.
IT WAS JUST PROVIDED TO THE BOARD AND APPROVED, UM, ON TUESDAY I BELIEVE, OR APRIL AND FIND IT RIGHT ON, OH, IT WAS A PRETTY BAD ANNUAL UPDATE WAS APPROVED BY THE BOARD ON APRIL 6TH.
UH, SO THESE ARE THE FOUR MAIN CATEGORIES IN STRATEGIC PLANS, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, TEACHER, AND ADMINISTRATIVE QUALITY HIGH SCHOOL CLIMATE AND GIFT ENCOUNTER.
UM, AND SO, UH, WORKING WITH THESE FACTORS IN MIND, WE ALSO, UH, DID A CROSSWALK WITH BOARD POLICIES AND ADMINISTRATIVE RULES.
AND SO THEY, THEY DO FIT VERY NICELY TOGETHER.
UM, AND SO EVEN THOUGH THE UPDATE WAS JUST RECENTLY ACCOMPLISHED, WE WERE ABLE TO COMBINE WITH OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE RULES AND POLICIES.
AND WHEN WE'RE BUILDING THIS BUDGET AND CAN IDENTIFY A SPECIFIC GOALS THAT THEY CONNECT WITH.
SO, UM, WE DO REQUIRE OUR DEPARTMENTS TO LIST A STRATEGIC PLAN INDICATOR IN THEIR BUDGET SO THAT THEY CONNECT INDIVIDUAL LINE ITEMS, OTHER BUDGET REQUESTS TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
SO THAT'S VERY HELPFUL IN ALLOWING US TO CONNECT THOSE ITEMS, THOSE BUDGET ITEMS WITH, WITH THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF THE DISTRICT AND TO, UM, UM, DEVELOP A BUDGET THAT'S MEANINGFUL AND ADDRESSING THE SPECIFIC GOALS OF THE DISTRICT.
SO, UM, OTHER GUIDANCE THAT WE USED, UH, WAS SPECIFIC BOARD POLICIES, AND THERE, THERE ARE SEVERAL BOARD POLICIES, UM, PRIMARILY, AND I DIDN'T LIST IT HERE, BUT, UH, DEVELOPING A BOARD, BUT A BUDGET FOR BOARD APPROVAL THAT REFLECTS THEM ALL TO YOUR PERSPECTIVE, ANALYZES THE FINANCIAL CONDITION OF THE DISTRICT OVER FIVE YEARS, UM, FIVE YEARS OF NEEDS, AND THEN PROPOSALS TO ADDRESS THE ADVANCEMENT OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
SO THAT IS THAT TODAY IS THE BEGINNING OF THAT, UH, THAT WORK AND THE
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REPORTING TO YOU.BUT, UM, I WILL NOT BE BRINGING FORWARD A MONITORING REPORT FOR YOU TODAY TO ACCEPT.
UH, I WILL WAIT UNTIL YOU'VE SEEN ALL THE ELEMENTS THAT, UM, ARE IN THOSE BOARD POLICIES SO THAT WE, YOU CAN BE COMPETENT THAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED AND NRA COMPLIANCE WITH YOUR POLICIES.
SO I'LL BE BRINGING THAT FORWARD PROBABLY ON THE DATE OF CERTIFICATION, UH, AND AS OPPOSED TO EARLY ON IN THE PROCESS.
SO, UM, MORE POLICIES IN O E FIVE TO NAME GUIDING PRINCIPLES WE USED HERE, AND THAT IS THE SUPERINTENDENT SHALL DEVELOP A BUDGET AND MAINTAINS AN UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE NO LESS THAN 10% OF THE NEXT YEAR'S BUDGETED EXPENDITURES WITH A DESIGNATED TARGET AND BETWEEN 15 AND 17 OF OPERATING EXPENSES FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
SO, UH, THE FLOOR IS 10% FUND BALANCE.
THE RANGE OR THE GOAL GOAL RANGE IS 15 TO 17%.
WE WANT TO BE ON THE HIGHER END OF THAT RANGE AT ALL POSSIBLE.
AND I DO BELIEVE THAT THIS BUDGET, THIS BUDGET COMPLIES WITH THAT, WITH THAT REQUEST OR THAT POLICY.
SO IT ALSO STATES THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT SHOULD NOT DEVELOP, SHALL NOT DEVELOP A BUDGET THAT PLANS FOR EXPENDITURES IN ANY FISCAL YEAR HAVE MORE FUNDS THAT ARE CONSERVATIVELY PROJECTED OR AVAILABLE DURING BUDGET DURING THE YEAR, BASICALLY THAT'S BALANCED BUDGET.
SO WE CANNOT TAKE EXPENDITURES THAT EXCEED THE REVENUES.
UM, WE INCLUDED BRING REVENUES THAT YOU DO NOT, UH, THAT EXPENSE THAT EXCEED THE EXPENDITURES.
AND THAT WOULD BE IN ADDITION TO THE FUND BALANCE.
BUT TODAY WE BROUGHT FORWARD THREE SCENARIOS, WHICH ALL INCLUDE A BALANCED BUDGET.
SO THE NEXT SLIDE IS ABOUT OUR FINANCIAL STRATEGY.
SO I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF TELL THE STORY ABOUT HOW, HOW DID I, HOW DID OUR STAFF COME TO THE CONCLUSION OF THE SCENARIOS THAT WERE BROUGHT FOR THEM TO, TO USE TODAY? AND THERE'S REALLY SOME JUST STRATEGIC THINGS THAT WE DO EACH YEAR AS WE'RE BUILDING A BUDGET, WE WANT TO MAXIMIZE REVENUES.
WE WANT, WE PRIORITIZE EXPENDITURE NEEDS.
WE BALANCED THE BUDGET AT HER POLICY.
WE, AND WE WANT TO MAINTAIN A FUND BALANCE BETWEEN 15 AND 17% AND AT ALL POSSIBLE, WE WANT TO MINIMIZE TAX INCREASES AND THE IMPACT ON OUR TAXPAYERS, WHATEVER EXTENT POSSIBLE.
SO THE FIRST THING WE DO IN THE BUDGET PROCESS IS WE LOOK AT OUR PROJECTED LOCAL STATE AND REVENUE AND FEDERAL REVENUES.
UM, WE LOOK AT ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS, WE LOOK AT, UH, COMPILING THE EXPENDITURE NEEDS FOR OUR SCHOOLS AND DEPARTMENTS.
THEN I PREPARED SOME SCENARIOS, UM, THAT COMPLY WITH ALL OF THE POLICIES AND ME MEET THESE NEEDS, MEET THE NEEDS THAT HAVE BEEN REQUESTED.
UH, AND THEN WE PROPOSE A BUDGET WITH WHICH MEETS FOR POLICY AND BALANCES, THE NEEDS OF OUR EXPENDITURES WITH OUR AVAILABLE REVENUE SOURCES.
SO, UM, WE'RE TALKING FIRST ABOUT REVENUES TODAY BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME, UH, BASICALLY FINITE LIMITATIONS ON, ON THE REVENUE SIDE IN ORDER TO FUND THE EXPENDITURES.
SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO WHEN WE ESTABLISH AN EXPENDITURE AMOUNT OF TOTAL BUDGET AMOUNT THAT WE KNOW, DO WE HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO PAY FOR IT? SO, UM, YOU'RE GONNA SEE THREE SCENARIOS HERE TODAY.
SO OUR CURRENT YEAR BUDGET AND I, AS I WAS LOOKING OVER THIS LAST NIGHT, I REALIZED I PROBABLY NEED A SLIDE IN BETWEEN ART TO TELL YOU WHERE WE ARE NOW AND, AND WHAT WAS REQUESTED.
AND THEN, UM, UH, TO GIVE YOU THE, THESE SCENARIOS FOR WHERE WE ARE NOW IS A BUDGET OF 254 MILLION, 254.3 MILLION.
AND WE HAVE THAT BUDGET FOR TWO YEARS.
UH, BASICALLY WE PASSED THE SAME BUDGET LAST YEAR AS THE YEAR BEFORE.
SO WE HAVE WE'RE IN YEAR TWO OF THE SAME BUDGET.
OUR BUDGET TYPICALLY HAS INCREASES OF $10 MILLION ANYWHERE FROM SEVEN TO $10 MILLION A YEAR, BUT THERE WERE NO INCREASES LAST YEAR.
SO WE'RE HOLDING, HOLDING THAT THAT WAS NOT THE SAME.
AND SO THE, THE, THE NEEDS AND THE REQUESTS WERE, WERE, UM, QUITE BARGE THERE, THERE WAS NO ORIGINAL REQUEST.
UH, WHEN WE TOTAL EVERYTHING UP, IT WAS $274 MILLION, WHICH WOULD BE A $20 MILLION INCREASE IN OUR BUDGET.
UM, SO THAT IS NOT A SCENARIO WE'RE BRINGING FORWARD TODAY.
WE FELT THAT WE COULD REMOVE SOME DUPLICATIONS, UH, PULL SOME THINGS OUT THAT WERE NEW AND NOT CLOUD.
UM, SO WE BASICALLY, WHAT WE'RE BRINGING INTO THIS SCENARIO IS TO DO THE BASICS.
UM, THE PAY INCREASE COMPENSATION INCREASES FOR OUR
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TEACHERS AND OTHER EMPLOYEES, UM, AND OPERATIONAL INCREASES THAT REFLECT, UH, CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS AND INCREASES THAT ARE REQUIRED AS A RESULT OF THOSE CONTRACTS.SO, UM, I'M GOING TO START WITH SCENARIO ONE HERE.
SCENARIO ONE IS A SCENARIO IN WHICH WE HAD WOULD HAVE AN EXPENDITURE BUDGET OF 259 MILLION, WHICH IS ABOUT A $5 MILLION INCREASE FROM WHERE WE ARE NOW.
IT WOULDN'T, THERE WOULD BE NO TAX INCREASE HERE IN THE LYNCH WOULD REMAIN THE SAME PERCENTAGE INCREASE IN THE PRIOR YEAR.
IF WE, UH, IF WE CUT $15 MILLION FROM THAT $20 MILLION REQUEST, SO WE'D HAVE TO CUT EVERYTHING, BUT ABOUT $5 MILLION.
UM, SO THE ADVANTAGES, OF COURSE, AGAIN, NO TAX INCREASE.
IT NEEDS TO FUND BALANCE POLICY AND BALANCES BUDGET, BUT IT REQUIRES $15 MILLION TO PRODUCTIONS FROM WHERE WE BEGAN, WHICH IS A DIFFICULT, DIFFICULT, UM, TASK.
SO SCENARIO TWO IS A 4.4 MIL TAX INCREASE, WHICH WOULD TAKE US FROM THE CURRENT 114 MILS TO 118.4 MILLS.
THIS IS ABOUT, THAT WOULD RESULT IN AN EXPENDITURE AMOUNT OF 265 MILLION, WHICH IS A $10 MILLION INCREASE FROM WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
SO THE ADVANTAGES WOULD BE THAT IT HAS A MODERATE TAX INCREASE.
UM, IT HAS, IT NEEDS THE FUND BALANCE POLICY AND THE BALANCED BUDGET.
UH, HOWEVER IT REQUIRES A NINE IS ACTUALLY, I HAVE 10 POINT HERE, BUT I, THAT IS A SLIGHT ERROR AND IT'S $9.5 MILLION REDUCTIONS.
SO IT REDUCES EVERYTHING EXCEPT FOR THE BASIC COMPENSATION INCREASES IN OPERATIONAL INCREASES.
AND THEN SCENARIO TWO IS A, UM, INCLUDES A 7.6 MIL PROJECTED INCREASE.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT I SAID, BUT SORRY.
SCENARIO THREE, 121.6 MILS, A 7.6 NAIL INCREASE WOULD GET, UH, PROVIDE A BUDGET OF $269 MILLION, WHICH WOULD BE ABOUT A 6% INCREASE IN THE BUDGET.
IT WOULD BE A $15 MILLION INCREASE IN EXPENDITURE BUDGET OF WHERE WE ARE CURRENTLY.
SO THIS ONE HAS MULTIPLE ADVANTAGES.
UM, IT NEEDS A FUND BALANCE POLICY BALANCES, A BUDGET REQUIRES FEWER REDUCTIONS IN ORDER TO BALANCE THE BUDGET.
IT ADDRESSES MORE OF THE NEEDS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED BY THE DEPARTMENTS.
AND, UH, THE MAJOR DISADVANTAGE IS IT IS, IT IS, UH, UH, ON THE LARGER SIDE OF A TAX INCREASE.
SO, SO, SO WITH THAT, UM, THE WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE REVENUES.
UM, MY RECOMMENDATION TODAY CENTERS SOLELY AROUND SCENARIO TWO.
UM, IT MEETS THE MAJORITY OF IT NEEDS THE POLICIES THAT HAVE BEEN SET FORTH BY THE BOARD AND REQUIRES, UH, UM, ALLOWS FOR INCREASE IN EXPENDITURES OF ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT AS WE HAVE HISTORICALLY SEEN IN THE PAST ABOUT $10 MILLION IN INCREASES.
UM, IT IS A LEAN SCENARIO, A LEAN BUDGET, UM, 10 MILLION, DOES IT SOUND, BUT FOR WHEN YOU'VE HAD TWO YEARS OF A STEP INCREASE AND, UH, SOME POSITIONS WE NEED TO ADD TO COMPLY WITH OUR STATE FEDERAL GUIDELINES, UM, YOU'LL SEE, AS I MOVE THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION THAT, UH, IT IS, IT IS PRETTY NEAT.
SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE OF PROJECTED REVENUES, GENERAL PLAN REVENUES, THIS IS JUST THE REVENUES AND A BROKEN DOWN BY LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL.
SO IN THE LOCAL SECTION OR OUR, OUR LOCAL TAX REVENUE AD VALOREM TAXES, AND I DO INCLUDE CURRENT AUTO AND DELINQUENT TAXES ALL ROLLED INTO ONE AS WE HAVE HISTORICALLY DONE IN THE DISTRICT.
UM, SO MOST OF THE LOCAL TOTALS ARE IN GREEN THERE.
AND I DO, UM, IN COL I HAVE PROVIDED A COUPLE OF YEARS OF INFORMATION.
THE APPROVED BUDGET IS IN COLUMN A, THE PROJECTED ACTUAL BUDGET IT OR PROJECTED ACTUALS ARE FOR THE CURRENT YEAR OR IN COLUMN B.
AND I'M HAPPY TO SAY, AND I MAY HAVE SAID IT, UH, TUESDAY NIGHT, BUT, UH, OUR, OUR TAX REVENUES ARE COMING IN, UM, VERY FAVORABLY AT THESE FROM THE TREASURER'S OFFICE.
UM, IT DOES APPEAR THAT WE WILL COLLECT A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE
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BUDGET AND AMOUNT OF 149.7 MILLION.SO I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT AND WAS, HAD BEEN VERY CONCERNED ABOUT IT FOR QUITE SOME TIME TIME, UM, THROUGH, SINCE THE, UM, TAX BILLS.
BUT I'M VERY HAPPY TO SAY THAT THOSE DO HAVE A POSITIVE OUTLOOK.
UM, SO WE DO EXPECT ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT OF LOCAL REVENUES AS WE VOTED.
UM, BUT WE ARE SHOWING YOU AND THE, OR A TAX INCREASE, UH, ADDITIONAL MILLAGE RECOMMENDED 4.4 MILLS, WHICH WOULD GENERATE ABOUT $5.8 MILLION OF ADDITIONAL LOCAL REVENUE IN THE STATE SECTION.
UM, WE ARE EXPECTING ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS MORE IN ACTUAL STATE REVENUES.
UH, WE BELIEVE THAT THAT WILL COME IN THE FORM OF A STATE AID CLASSROOMS WHERE THE TEACHER STEP IN GREECE.
I HAVE NOT YET SEEN THE NUMBERS FOR THAT ADDITIONAL REVENUE.
UH, IT WILL COME FROM THE REVENUE FISCAL AFFAIRS OFFICE, UM, IN THE COMING WEEKS.
BUT I DO EXPECT THAT WE WILL SEEK RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL MILLION THIS YEAR OR THOSE INCREASES.
UM, AND AGAIN, IN NEXT YEAR, I AM ANTICIPATING ANOTHER $4 MILLION AND FRANKLY, AND TEACHER SALARY SUPPLEMENT YEAH.
AS A RESULT OF THE NEXT YEAR STEP INCREASE.
SO, SO ALL IN ALL, IT'S ABOUT A $5 MILLION INCREASE IN STATE REVENUE.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE INCREASE IN EXPENDITURES OF 10 MILLION MORE REQUESTING THE STATE REVENUE IS ABOUT 50 50 FOR SENATE, THAT WE'RE PROJECTING IS ABOUT 50% OF THAT INCREASE.
SO THE OTHER 50% HAS NOWHERE ELSE TO COME, BUT LOCAL TAX REVENUE.
SO, UM, ARE WE CONTINUE TO BE THE LOWEST PERCENTAGE OF STATE FUNDING IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS AT 24%.
SO EFA, WHICH IS EDUCATION FINANCE ACT.
IT IS THE PRIMARY STATE FUNDING FORMULA FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
IT'S WEIGHTED ON A, UM, WEALTH, A BASIS OF WEALTH THROUGH AN INDEX OF CAT'S PAYING ABILITY.
THAT ABILITY IS GREATER TOO, UH, GENERATE TAX REVENUE IN BUKER COUNTY THAN IT IS IN OTHER COUNTIES SURROUNDING COUNTIES JASPER, FOR EXAMPLE.
SO WE RECEIVE REVENUES, WE RECEIVE A SMALLER PROPORTION OF STATE REVENUE THAN OTHERS, THE DISTRICT, BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT WE, UM, BECAUSE EVIDENCE SHOWS WHO ARE ASSESSED VALUES THAT ARE CLOSE TAX IS ABLE TO GENERATE THE REVENUE TO SUPPORT IT.
SO YOU'LL SEE $5 MILLION FROM STATE AND THE OTHER FIVE OR 5.7, FIVE POINT MILLION, UM, WILL NEED TO BE, UM, GENERATED THROUGH ADDITIONAL SOURCES AND RECOMMENDATION AT THIS POINT IS THROUGH LOCAL TAX KNOWLEDGE.
UM, SO, UH, AGAIN, UH, THERE ARE A LOT OF ESTIMATES AND ASSUMPTIONS IN THIS, AND I PROVIDED, UH, SOME BUDGET ASSUMPTIONS ON THE FAR RIGHT-HAND COLUMN IN COLUMN E I AM ESTIMATING A 1% GROWTH IN THE VALUE OF THE MILL THAT THE DISTRICT PROCEEDS, UM, AND, AND THE PROJECTIONS, UH, I KNOW THE STATE IS AT THE SENATE ACTUALLY, OR SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE WAS WORKING ON SOME CHANGES TO THE COST.
AND, UH, PERHAPS A COST OF LIVING IN GREECE FOR TEACHER MANDATED AT THE STATE LEVEL.
THOSE ARE NOT APPLIED CLINT THIS TIME.
AND ALSO AS THOSE, UM, AS THAT INFORMATION COMES DOWN, THEN MY ASSUMPTIONS WILL CHANGE.
AND I'LL PROVIDE ANOTHER, UM, SCENARIO FOR YOU IF, IF THOSE MANDATES ARE PASSED DOWN TO THE DISTRICT.
SO NEXT SLIDE IS A HISTORY OF OUR OPERATIONS MILLAGE.
YOU'VE SEEN THIS SLIDE BEFORE IN THE LAST PRESENTATION I PROVIDED.
UM, AND IT IS A SCENARIO, SORRY, IT'S THE ACTUAL MILLAGE FROM 2012 TO 2021.
UH, THE ITEMS IN RED ARE REASSESSMENT YEARS.
AND WHEN YOU MEAN 19, UH, IN 2014, UH, TAX BILLS, WHEN THE REASSESSMENT OCCURRED, THE VALUES OF PROPERTIES WERE DOWN AT THAT TIME.
SO THERE WAS A ROLL FORWARD OF THE MILLAGE INSTEAD OF A TYPICAL ROLL BACK, WHICH OCCURRED IN 2019.
UM, SO YOU'LL SEE, UM, THERE WERE SOME DIFFERENCES THERE, BUT ALL IN ALL, THERE ARE GRADUAL INCREASES OVER THE YEARS, UH, TO GET US TO A POINT, UH, AT 140 MILS OF WHERE WE ARE NOW.
[00:35:01]
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT IN YEARS WHERE WE STAYED FLAT, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S 22, 2015, IN 2016, THE, THE INCREASE THAT WAS NEEDED THE FOLLOWING YEAR WAS SUBSTANTIAL.SO THE PEAK IS THE, IT WAS, UH, A MORE DRASTIC RISE IN THE MIDDLE EDGE, UM, THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
AND SO THE POINT DOMAIN POINT OF THIS SLIDE I'D LIKE TO GET ACROSS IS WE HAVE BEEN AT BASICALLY THE SAME VILLAGE SINCE 2018.
YOU HAVE AN 18 WERE AT 113.5, WE'RE CURRENTLY 114 ZERO.
SO, SO, UH, IT IS, UH, THE 2019 WAS NOT A TYPICAL YEAR.
THAT ONES, THAT YEAR, WE ACTUALLY LOST $9.2 MILLION IN REVENUES ROLL BACK.
IT WAS NOT CALCULATED, UM, FAVORABLY FOR THE DISTRICT.
AND SO IT, IT, WE ENDED UP ACTUALLY JUST MOVING MILLAGE BACK TO WHERE WE BEGAN AND THE TAX REVENUES CAME IN AS EXPECTED.
SO, UM, SINCE WE'VE BEEN HELD IN ST MILLAGE, IT WOULD MAKE SENSE THAT WITH TWO YEARS, UH, WITH THE SAME BUDGET AND COSTS, INCREASING NEWBIE, WE'RE ALL EXPERIENCING THE CRISIS OF GASOLINE AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS IN OUR OWN PERSONAL LIVES, UH, INCREASING.
AND THOSE ARE, UH, THOSE ARE NOT, UH, THE DISTRICT SCHOOL DISTRICT IS NOT EXCLUDED FROM HAVING THE EFFECTS OF COST INCREASES LIKE THAT AS WELL.
SO THERE IS A NEED FOR AN INCREASE, AND I THINK TIMING IS RIGHT.
SO THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS THE AVAILABLE MILLAGE WITH LOOK BACK.
AND I BELIEVE I'VE, I'VE DISCUSSED THIS WITH THE BOARD AND MADE IT A LITTLE SIMPLER.
UM, SO BASICALLY AT THREE EIGHT SAYS THAT, UM, YOU'RE, YOU HAVE A CAT ON YOUR MILLAGE IN GREECE OR THE OPERATION SCIENCE, AND YOU NOT ONLY, WE ARE RELIANT ON INFORMATION FROM THE STATE REVENUE AND FISCAL AFFAIRS OFFICE, THAT WOULD BE FRANK RAINWATER'S OFFICE AT THE, AT THE STATE LEVEL.
AND WE ARE, UM, THIS, UH, AVAILABLE MILLAGE IS BASED ON CENSUS DATA AND A CONSUMER PRICE INDEX INCREASES.
SO ALTHOUGH WE DON'T HAVE INFORMATION FOR THIS CURRENT YEAR, QUITE YET, WE HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY ESTIMATING THOSE IN THE PAST.
I THINK LAST YEAR WE WERE, UH, THREE HUNDREDTHS OF A POINT OFF OF OUR ESTIMATES OF WHAT CENSUS INFORMATION WAS GOING TO BE THIS YEAR.
I ESTIMATED MUCH MORE CONSERVATIVELY.
UM, AND SO WE BELIEVE THAT 3.2 MILS IS WHAT WE CAN GENERATE JUST IN THE CURRENT YEAR FOR MILLAGE.
I WILL KNOW FOR SURE ON MAY 6TH BY EMAIL THE REP, UH, THAT OFFICE AT THE STATE LEVEL.
AND THEY INDICATED THAT, UM, FIRST WEEK OF MAY, WE WOULD GO RECEIVED FINAL INFORMATION.
NOT ONLY IS THAT 3.2 OR PROJECTED 3.2 AVAILABLE, WE CAN LOOK BACK THREE YEARS.
SO, UH, WE, IF YOU LOOK BACK TO 2018, UH, WE USED ALL OF THAT MILLAGE WHEN WE WENT TO THE YEAR IN WHICH WE HAD THE $9.2 MILLION SHORTFALL.
WE USED ALL OF THE MILLAGE TO INCREASE BACK FROM THAT LOW POINT 104 MILS BACK UP TO 114.
WE DO HAVE 0.4 MILLS AVAILABLE FROM OUR TWO YEARS AGO AND FOUR MILLS AVAILABLE FROM LAST YEAR THAT WERE NOT USED.
SO WE HAVE A BANK TOTAL RIGHT NOW OF 0.4 MILS, WHICH IS THE RECOMMENDATION I'M MAKING.
WHY ARE YOU USING THAT INCREASE OR THAT MILLAGE IN THE SCENARIO TWO THAT WE'RE USING TODAY THAT YOU'RE SEEING TODAY? UM, BUT AGAIN, THERE WILL BE NEW MEALS AVAILABLE THIS YEAR.
AND SO I'VE JUST DO NOT KNOW THE FINAL NUMBERS OF WHAT THAT WOULD BE YET.
SO I'M ESTIMATING THAT IT WOULD BE THE TOTAL MAXIMUM MILLAGE WOULD BE ONE, UH, 121.6 MILLION.
I THINK, UH, I THINK YOU'VE SEEN THIS ONE BEFORE AS WELL, UH, VALUE PCSD OPERATIONS NOW.
UM, SO THESE BASICALLY A VERY SIMPLE CALCULATION.
WHAT IS THE DISTRICT RECEIVED IN REVENUE EVERY YEAR IN THE LAST 10 YEARS? WHAT HAS MILLAGE HAS BEEN, AND WHAT IS THE REV NIL VALUE THAT THE DISTRICT HAS RECEIVED IS NOT A COMPLICATED CALCULATION.
UM, IT'S NOT ONLY IS IT SIMPLE, BUT IT CAN EASILY BE TRACED BACK TO OUR COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORTS, UM, WITH THOSE EXACT NUMBERS.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE CHANGES IN THE GROWTH OF THAT MILL OR THE DECLINE IN THE VALUE OF, YOU KNOW, OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEARS, IT'S PRETTY SPORADIC, BUT OF LATE, THE INCREASE IS PRETTY NOMINAL.
UM, SO IN, FROM 19 TO 20, AT FISCAL YEAR 20,
[00:40:01]
WE HAVE A 1.2% GROWTH IN THAT NUMBER.UM, AND THEN IF WE, TO A HUNDRED PERCENT OF OUR REF BUDGETED REVENUES, WHICH WE ARE PROJECTING THAT WE WILL, IT WOULD BE A 0.8% GROWTH FACTOR.
SO IF YOU AVERAGE THOSE TWO TOGETHER, YOU BASICALLY HAVE AN AVERAGE OF 1% GROWTH IN THE VALUE OF EACH MISSING.
SO I'M HOPEFUL THAT THAT WILL, UM, INCREASE.
UM, BUT, AND WE'LL KEEP AN EYE ON THAT AS WE GET MORE INFORMATION FROM THE COUNTY.
UM, SO THAT IS WHY I'M ASSUMING A 1% GROWTH AT THE END OF THE VALUE OF, OF OUR MILKS.
UH, SO IN REVENUES ARE REPORTING A HIGHER, UH, WE WILL COME BACK, UH, ON THE NEXT CONVERSATION THAT WE HAVE WITH WAR, AND WE'D HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVISE THOSE ESTIMATES AND AN INCREASE IN THIS VALUE COULD MEAN THAT WE DON'T NEED TO EMBRACE MILLAGE AS MUCH.
IT COULD MEAN THAT WE COULD ADD SOMETHING THAT'S VERY MUCH NEEDED IN OUR EXPENDITURES AND FUND MORE OF THE INITIATIVES OF THE DISTRICT.
AND SO WE DO HAVE SOME OPTIONS FOR THAT AND SOME FLEXIBILITY AND, UH, ROUNDING OUT THE REVENUE CONVERSATION.
THIS IS A SUMMARY OF, UM, THE MILLAGE AND IT'S WHAT THE CURRENT YEAR MILLAGES AND THE NEXT YEAR MILLAGE AND THE REVENUES THAT IT WOULD PRODUCED $157 MILLION ESTIMATED, UM, YOUR PROJECT.
WE HAVE, UM, COMBINE THOSE WITH THE STATE REVENUES TO COME UP WITH A TOTAL OF $265 MILLION OF POSSIBLE REVENUES WITH THESE, YOU KNOW, UNDER THIS SCENARIO, NO USE OF FUND BALANCE.
IT WOULD BE A 16.2% FUND BALANCE SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN THE PRIOR YEAR ONLY BECAUSE IT'S A CALCULATION OF THE NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET.
WE'RE AVERAGING THAT WE'RE ESTIMATING THAT THERE WILL BE AN ANNUAL $10 MILLION INCREASE IN EXPENDITURES.
SO THEIR PERCENTAGE DECLINES EACH YEAR.
UM, SO IT WOULD BE, UM, SUPPORTING AT A 56.9 DAYS OF OPERATIONS IN OUR FUND BALANCE.
AND SO AGAIN, THAT FUND BALANCE IS IMPORTANT.
IT DEFINITELY HELPS THAT JUNE 30.
SO WHEN WE GO THROUGH JULY AND WE'RE STARTING TO PAY THE PAYROLL AND THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE DISTRICT THROUGH JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, WHERE WE, THOSE ARE THE DAYS OF OPERATIONS THAT WE'RE USING THAT FUNDS AT HOMES.
AND SO SINCE, UM, 40, 44 AND A HALF MILLION, IT GETS US THROUGH ABOUT TWO MONTHS, UH, AND THEN THERE IS A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL CASH FLOWS IN THE FORM OF A CAN.
SO AGAIN, THERE IS A POLICY AND, UM, I THINK I MAY TALK ABOUT IT LATER ON IN THE CONVERSATION, BUT, UH, THERE IS A POLICY THAT WE WILL, UH, DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO INCREASE, UH, THAT FUND BALANCE, UH, TO HELP US WITH OUR CREDIT RATING AND OTHER FACTORS.
SO INTO MINIMIZE THE NEED FOR A TAX ANTICIPATION NOTE.
SO IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT, UH, TO THE BOARD THROUGH POLICY AND, UH, IT'S IMPORTANT TO OUR SUCCESSFUL, UM, OUR, UH, THE RE THE BOND ISSUANCE THAT WE, UH, HAVE ON A REGULAR BASIS TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE SMALLEST INTEREST COST TO TAXPAYERS.
UM, JUST AS A SIDE NOTE, WE ISSUED, UM, $130 MILLION WORTH OF BONDS YES.
PER DAY, UM, YESTERDAY BASED ARE KIND OF RUNNING TOGETHER BASICALLY.
BUT, UM, OUR INTEREST RATE WAS 1.48%, AND THAT IS A TRIBUTE TO OUR, A TESTAMENT TO OUR FUND BALANCE INCREASING AND HOLDING, HOLDING STEADY AT THE RATE IT IS NOW.
AND, UM, AND OUR ABILITY TO MAINTAIN THE DOUBLE A BOND RATING.
THIS FUND BALANCE IS ONE OF THE MOST DECIDING FACTORS OF A BOND, A CREDIT RATING CALL THAT I'VE ENCOUNTERED.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT THEY LOOK AT.
AND SO KEEPING THAT AND MAINTAINING IT, NOT DIPPING INTO IT ON A REGULAR BASIS IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO CONTINUE TO KEEP IN MIND, PAUSE THERE.
AND JUST THE NEXT TOPIC IS EXPENDITURES AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'D WANT TO PAY TO CONTINUE THROUGH OUT OR JUST GOOD PAUSING SPOT.
[00:45:07]
SO I HAVE $274 MILLION WORTH OF REQUESTS.
AND SO IT WOULD TAKE $15 MILLION OF THOSE NEW REQUESTS.
YOU HAVE WHAT YOU DO, SMALL TALK, TURNS OUT TO GET IT TO WHERE YOU GOT IT, BASICALLY, WHERE WE ENDED UP WITH THE MANDATED INCREASES AND STEP INCREASES FOR ALL.
AND, UM, AND THE OPERATIONAL INCREASES.
SO WE BASICALLY ANY NEW ITEMS BEYOND WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE TODAY, ANY REQUESTS OR REDUCED BACK TO THE CURRENT YEAR LEVELS.
I COULD ASK MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT.
I'M CONCERNED THAT IT'S STILL JUST ME.
AND, UM, SO, BUT CONSTRUCTION LOAN ADVANCES THAT'S NECESSARY CUTTING THE RAZOR, BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ABSOLUTELY MANDATED BOTH CASES SAY THAT WE'RE NOT ADDRESSING THE SITUATION OF FLUID TOO.
SO THAT'S THOSE, THOSE ONE ON ONE, UH, REVENUE, UH, HOW WOULD YOU GENERATE THAT? UM, NO, SIR.
HI, ONE IS IN OUR SPECIAL ED EVENTS IN A SOURCE, AND I'LL BRING, I'LL BE BRINGING BUDGETS FOR SPECIAL REVENUE BACK AT A FUTURE DATE.
THERE ARE TWO MAIN ITEMS THAT ARE IN THESE FEDERAL SOURCES PAID AND E-BRAKE SO IMPACT TWO FEDERAL PROGRAMS, ONE IMPACT AID.
THERE ARE FEDERALLY IMPACTED SCHOOL OR STUDENTS.
UM, IT'S ABOUT $50,000 A YEAR.
AND THAT NUMBER, THE BULK OF THAT IS BEING RAISED.
SO IT'S THE REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE JUVE APPROVED AND, UM, AND SPENDING OF OUR TELEPHONE SYSTEMS AND VARIOUS THINGS.
AND THEN WE GET ABOUT 600,000.
SO ALL OF THE, UH, EXAMPLE, WHEREVER YOU THAT'S SITTING.
SO, UM, IN ONLINE, UH, 18 AND BRING YOUR GLASSES WITH ME, UM, I'M LIKE 18, I AM ANTICIPATING, UH, IN THE CARES ACT FUNDS, PARTICULARLY THE NEWEST GROUND BETWEEN TWO POINTS SET UP WHEN $2.7 MILLION OR TWO FUNDS.
UM, THIS NUMBER
UH, SO IN SOME OF OUR MAJOR GRANTS THEY OFFER, UM, THE GRANT ITSELF OFFERS US THE ABILITY TO TRANSFER MONEY TO THE GENERAL FUND, TO COVER THE ADMINISTRATION OF THOSE RANKS.
IT COMES BASICALLY FROM HARRODS AFTER S OR TO FUNDING THAT WE'RE INCORPORATING IN HERE.
SO WHEN WE SPEND THE ESTHER TO FUNDS AND I'M ANTICIPATING THAT WE WILL SPEND, UM, OVER, OVER THE PERIOD OF 12 MONTHS IN THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR, UH, 21ST, APPROXIMATELY 20% IS OUR INDIRECT COST RATE.
SO I CAN S I CAN TAKE 20% OF THE SPENDING AND TRANSFER IT OVER TO SUPPORT THE GENERAL ON OPERATIONS NEXT YEAR.
SO THAT'S A LITTLE COMPLICATED, BUT, UM, BUT I AM UTILIZED, YOU WILL SEE AS WE BRING FORWARD, UH, THE ESTER TO PLAN THAT A BIG CHUNK OF THAT IS GOING TO HELP US IN THE GENERAL FUND OPERATIONS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS, AS, UM, AS THOSE FUNDS BECOME AVAILABLE,
[00:50:01]
ESPECIALLY WITH ME.IT'S A, WE'VE JUST RECENTLY BUILT A PLAN ON THE ESTER TWO FUNDS, AND WE HAVEN'T RECEIVED APPROVAL FINAL APPROVAL ON THAT.
WE'RE STILL IN THE REVIEW AND QUESTIONING STAGE IS ON THE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT COMPONENT.
PROGRESSIVE, THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
UH, COULD YOU PUT SLIDE NINE UP AGAIN, POINTING OUT TO THE BOARD? UH, SLIDE NINE IS VERY IMPORTANT WHEN YOU LOOK AT SLIDES LIKE THIS IN GOVERNMENT WORK, OR EVEN IN BUSINESS, YOU, YOU WANT TO KNOW TRENDS, YOU LOOK AT THE SLOPE OF THE TREND LINE.
SO YOU, IF IN FACT, IF IT WAS, UH, IT SHOWED BACK TO SAY 2005, 2006, THAT SO LANGUAGE WOULD BE RELATIVELY THE SAME.
YOU SEE THAT WE TOOK THE BIG DROP DURING THE REASSESSMENT THAT TOOK US OFF THE SLOPE.
THEN YOU SEE, BASICALLY WE JUST WENT BACK TO WHERE WE WERE THE PREVIOUS YEAR THAT THAT'S A FLAT SLOPE.
AND THEN WE HAD A FLAT SLOPE AGAIN THIS YEAR.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT SLOPE LINE, WHAT THAT SHOULD TELL YOU IS ONE WE'VE GOT TO GET BACK ON THAT LINE SOONER OR LATER, AND SOONER IS EASIER THAN LATER, BECAUSE SOONER IS A LESS MILLAGE INCREASE AND LATER IS A GREATER MILLAGE INCREASE.
SO TO YOUR POINT, MR. CAMPBELL, WE HAVE TO STOP HALF STEPPING ON JUNE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, AND THIS LINE IS GOING TO AFFECT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT A COUPLE OF THINGS, FIRST OF ALL, YOU LOOK AT OUR GOAL FOR FUND BALANCE, AND YOU HEARD THE INTEREST RATE THAT WE GOT, WHICH SAYS, MAN, WE'RE IN GREAT SHAPE, BUT THAT'S DOUBLING ONE.
OKAY, I'M GETTING 1.4% INTEREST RATE, GOOD RATE, BUT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO PUMP $1 TRILLION INTO THE ECONOMY IN THE NEXT YEAR TO 18 MONTHS.
I'M TELL YOU FRIENDS THAT INFLATION IS GOING TO GO UP.
HAVEN'T RAISED RATES BECAUSE OF COVID FOR A YEAR, THEY'RE GONNA BLIND IT BACK.
SO, AND AGAIN, OUR GOAL IS TO HIT ENOUGH IN OUR FUND BALANCE SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO USE A TAN.
IF WE GOT OUR FUND BALANCE OF AN ADDITIONAL $14 MILLION AND NOT HAVE TO USE A TAN, THAT'S GOING TO HELP OUR INTEREST RATE IN THE FUTURE.
AND WHEN I'M TALKING ABOUT INFLATION GOING UP, I'M ALSO TELLING YOU INTEREST RATES ARE GOING TO GO UP.
SO WE'RE GOING TO PAY ME NOW, PAY ME LATER SITUATION.
AND I UNDERSTAND THE OPTION THAT, UH, THAT FOR THE DISTRICT IS PROPOSING, WHICH IS, UH, BASICALLY NOT ON THE SLOPE IT'S BELOW THE SLOPE.
I REALLY WOULD RATHER HAVE US GET ON THE SLOPE QUICKER.
I WOULD REALLY RATHER HAVE US GO AHEAD AND TAKE THE MAXIMUM MILLAGE ALLOWED.
NOW WE'RE LIMITED BY STATE LAW OF HOW MUCH, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU CAN BE ADDED, BUT THAT'S THE THIRD OPTION.
AND I REALLY THINK THAT IF WE TAKE THE THIRD OPTION, WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET ON THE SLOPE.
[00:55:01]
FROM NOW, WE WON'T BE LOOKING AT A SIGNIFICANT MORE MILITARY TRADES.A BIGGER INCREASE IS GOING TO BE PROBLEMATIC BECAUSE REMEMBER THAT'S NEXT YEAR, THE YEAR AFTER THAT, WE HAVE ANOTHER REASSESSMENT YEAR.
AND SO THERE'S A, THERE'S ANOTHER CHASM.
THERE'S ANOTHER VALLEYS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CROSS OVER.
SO I THINK A BOARD SHOULD BE STRATEGIC AND INTERVIEW AND NOT JUST LOOK AT WHAT IS PROVEN NOW VERSUS WHAT IS PROVED IN THE FUTURE CATCHING UP AND THIS TALK ABOUT THE FEDERAL MONEY, THE FEDERAL MONEY.
IF WE'RE GOING TO GET 20% TO USE FOR OVERHEAD, REALLY, WE'RE GOING TO BE SPENDING 80% OF THAT MONEY IN CATCH-UP.
NOW, IF YOU WERE A SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT WAS ALREADY CAUGHT UP BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, THEN WE COULD SAY, WELL, WE'LL USE THAT.
ONE-TIME CATCH-UP MONEY AND WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK TO WHERE WE WERE, BUT WE'RE GOING TO USE THAT ONE TIME, CATCH UP MONEY.
IS THAT GOING TO SOLVE ALL OUR ACHIEVEMENT? NO, BUT, BUT AFTER DOING THIS, WE'LL SAY, MAN, LOOK AT HOW MUCH WE'VE DONE.
SO WE'RE GOING TO NATURALLY WANT TO GROW OUR BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR, BUT WE WON'T HAVE THESE FEDERAL FUNDS COMING IN.
SO IT'S A SUPPLY AND DEMAND ISSUE.
WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF SUPPLY IS KIND OF CREATE THAT FUTURE DEMAND, WHICH IS TO ME, ANOTHER REASON WHY WE SHOULD GET BACK ON THE GROWTH SLOWED VILLAGE.
SO, UM, THAT'S JUST A STRATEGIC ECONOMIC VIEW OF WHAT THE DISTRICT HAS GIVEN TO US TODAY.
AND I WOULD REALLY SUPPORT GOING WITH A THIRD OPTION AND GETTING BACK ON THE SLOPE.
THANK YOU, MR. EXCUSE ME, MR. RAY.
I ACTUALLY HERE ON CAMPBELL HAD HIS HAND UP.
FIRST-LINE WILLING TO YOU'RE OKAY.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO SAY MR. GUARINI TO BE PROUD OF ME BECAUSE YOUR STUDENT NOW CAN ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON HERE AS FAR AS NO, JUST MADE SUPER COMPLICATED SUBJECT.
AND I'M A REASONABLY WELL-INFORMED, UM, MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC AND IT HAS TAKEN ME FOUR MONTHS AND SOME TUTORING TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THESE NUMBERS.
AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF THE PROBLEM, RIGHT.
UM, AND WHAT I NOTICED IS WHAT YOU'RE TELLING THE BOARD IS THAT THE STATE, THESE ARE BASICALLY UNFUNDED STATE MANDATES BECAUSE THEY'RE ONLY FUNDING 24% AND THEN THEY WANT US THE PUBLIC.
I MEAN THE LOCAL TAXES TO PICK UP THE OTHER 80%.
I THINK ONE THING WE NEED TO DO, UM, SINCE I'VE COME ON AND I'M TRYING TO FIGURE ALL THIS OUT AND TALKING TO PEOPLE AND THEY'RE LIKE, WHAT MIL, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? UM, IT'S SOME PUBLIC OUTREACH.
WE DO THESE WARRANTS WHERE THEY UNDERSTAND WHY WE HAVE TO COST CHEFS SO MUCH ONTO A LOCAL TAXES.
UM, AND I AGREE WITH, UH, MR. GUYER COMPLETELY ON THE SET OF 0.6% MILLS BECAUSE WE HAVE THAT AVAILABLE NOW.
AND AT FIRST I WAS THINKING, WELL, IF WE DO THE 4.4, WE CAN BANK SOME FOR NEXT TIME.
BUT IF WE'RE USING CPI AND CENSUS GROWTH, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF MILLS NEXT YEAR TO USE AS WELL.
BUT WE GOT TO MAKE SURE THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS THAT.
AND DOESN'T JUST SAY, OH, THE SCHOOL BOARD'S RAISING THEIR TAXES AGAIN.
CAUSE THEY WANT TO FUND A BUNCH OF SILLY PROGRAMS. OR THEY'VE GOT A BLOATED BUDGET THAT BASICALLY WE'VE GOT TO FUND ALL THESE UNFUNDED STATE MANDATES.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE OF THIS FORMULA, I DON'T THINK THAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS THE FORMULA BECAUSE NO ONE I'VE TALKED TO.
AND ONCE AGAIN, I'M TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, ENGAGED CITIZENS HAVE ANY IDEA THAT THE STATE ONLY PAYS 24% AND THAT WE GOT TO PICK UP THE OTHER 76%.
I WOULD BE ON BOARD WITH LOOKING AT THE FULL 7.6% MR. EARL CAMPBELL.
UM, I AGREE WITH HER AND SHE DID SAY THAT MOST FOLKS UNDERSTAND, UM, OTHER PRACTICES, SOME MORALS I CAN GO BACK 30 YEARS AND MR.
SO IN THE NAVIGATION AND EVERY TIME HE WAS CORRECT,
[01:00:01]
NOBODY WANTED TO TURN NICK THAT HE WAS GONE.AND THAT IS THE REASON WHY WE'RE IN THIS SITUATION.
SO IT'S TIME FOR LUNCH, DO SOME REALLY HARD BANKING.
AND THEN PEOPLE KNOW WHAT, WHAT WILL, WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
UM, BECAUSE WE TALK ABOUT SHAKING GEAR, WE DON'T HAVE THE FUNDS.
THERE IS NO WAY WE WANNA EVEN PUT OUR IDENTITY.
UM, AND FOR ME, I THINK EDUCATE CHILDREN, THAT WILL BE THE BEST INVESTMENT WE CAN DO TAXES.
NOBODY COMPLAINS ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY YOU SPEND, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY BOMBS WHEN YOU I'M TO MISS A LEVY, YOU KNOW, BUT NOBODY TALKS ABOUT THEM.
YOU ALWAYS TALK ABOUT
UM, I'M TELLING YOU NOW CHINA IS GOING TO BE THE NUMBER ONE COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.
IN FACT, AS FAR AS YOUR EDUCATION, WE NEED TO INVEST.
THANK YOU JUST YET THAT WE NEED TO GO TO THE EXTREME OPTION.
BUT I LOOK AT THE SLOPE SINCE 2012, AND I LOOK AT THE ADDITION OF 4.4 MILLS, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD PUT US AT ONE 18, WHICH IS AN UPWARD TRAJECTORY.
SO I'M NOT CONVINCED OF THE SCENARIO THREE.
UM, I THINK WE'RE COMING OFF AN INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT YEAR.
OUR NATION FOR LOCAL PEOPLE TAX INCREASES, JOB LOSSES.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THE TRILLION DOLLARS THAT U S GOVERNMENT IS PLANNING TO FRED, YOU KNOW, IT'S GOING TO ABSOLUTELY IMPACT INFLATION AND EVERYTHING.
UM, BUT I AM STARTING LIKE NOT CONVINCED THAT GOING BEFORE 7.6 MILLS IS THE WAY TO GO AT THIS TIME.
AND IN THIS ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT ALSO, THERE'S A LOT MORE, I NEED TO HEAR ABOUT HOW THIS BUDGET TO MR. CAMPBELL'S POINT IS HOW IT IMPACTS STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
WHAT ARE THE PROPOSALS AS MS. CROSBY STATED IN, UM, FOURTH POLICY A WEEK FIVE AND NUMBER SEVEN, HOW DOES THIS BUDGET REFLECT THE PROPOSALS TO ADVANCE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT? OKAY.
SO I GOT TO SEE MORE OF THAT TIME, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT ACT, UH, IF I'M CREATING A SCRAGGLY AND WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THIS PART YET, MS. CROSBY, BUT 15 POSITIONS REDUCED BASED ON PROJECTED ENROLLMENT.
WELL, WE'VE TALKED FOR TWO YEARS.
OUR HIGHER NEEDS SCHOOLS MIGHT NEED SMALLER CLASSROOMS, WHICH MEANS MORE TEACHERS.
SO HOW DOES THIS WORK WITH THAT? UH, SO THERE'S STILL A LOT MORE QUESTIONS I HAVE, UM, REGARDING THIS, UM, I'M NOT SOLD YET.
UM, CAN I ECHO WHAT MS. FIDRYCH SAID? I THINK IT'S A LITTLE EARLY TO BE MAKING A DECISION HERE ON THIS PRESENTATION, UM, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THIS LESTER STUDENT ENROLLMENT.
WHAT WERE THE ASSUMPTIONS UNDERNEATH OF IT? UM, SO I THINK, I THINK WE HAVE TO GET THROUGH THAT AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DRAW A DIRECT LINE BETWEEN THE MONEY AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
YOU HAVE TO SHOW HOW THAT MONEY FITS INTO A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO ADDRESS STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
SO I THINK WE PROBABLY NEED TO
[01:05:01]
MOVE A LITTLE FURTHER INTO GRATITUDE INTO THE PRESENTATION CAUSE I I'M PRETTY SURE TANYA, YOU'RE GOING TO TELL US ABOUT THOSE ASSUMPTIONS PRETTY SOON.MR. SMITH ACTUALLY DO AGREE WITH WHAT I WAS THINKING ALONG THOSE SAME LINES.
I WOULD DEFINITELY CONTINUE IN THIS COMPETITION BEFORE MAKING A DECISION.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M CLEAR ON THIS SLIDE.
NUMBER SEVEN THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT HAS THE THREE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS, UM, UNDER DISADVANTAGES, IT LISTS OUT, UH, REDUCTIONS TO BALANCE THE BUDGET.
THOSE REDUCTIONS ARE BASED ON TONYA THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU ASK ALL THE DIFFERENT ADMINISTRATORS FOR THEIR LIST AND THEIR DESIRES.
UM, THAT'S ASSUMING THAT REDUCTION IS COMING PREDOMINANTLY FROM THAT LIST, CORRECT? NOT FROM, IT'S NOT A REDUCTION TO PRESENT PROGRAMS, PRIVATE AND PRESENT STAFFING OR THINGS LIKE THAT.
IT'S MORE REDUCTION TO THE, FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM WISHLIST, RIGHT? POSITION REQUESTS, NEW, UM, NEW INCREASES FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENTS.
BECAUSE I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OUT OF EVERYTHING.
AND WHEN I LOOK AT IT AND WE HAVE OUR CURRENT BUDGET AT TWO 54, AND THEN WE'RE LOOKING AT ESSENTIALLY IF KEEPING THINGS WITH A NO TAX INCREASE IS GOING TO BRING IN AN ADDITIONAL FIVE MIL MILLION, I WAS JUST TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF THE, THE REDUCTION.
I DIDN'T WANT IT TO BE MISPERCEIVED BY ANYONE IN THE PUBLIC THAT THOSE REDUCTIONS WERE GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GETTING 5 MILLION MORE.
WHY ARE WE REDUCING THINGS? WELL, THAT'S ACTUALLY FROM THE LIST OF, UM, DESIRABLES.
SO THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT MOVE ON TO EXPENDITURES.
SLIDE NUMBER 14 IS, UH, HISTORICAL EXPENDITURE BY.
SO, UM, PARTICULARLY FOR THE NEW WORK NUMBERS, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I KNOW THESE NUMBERS ARE LARGE, THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS, IS A 20, 20 OVER 20,000 STUDENTS.
WE HAVE OVER THREE, APPROXIMATELY 3000 EMPLOYEES.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF CONTRACTORS AS WELL AS SUPPORT THE DISTRICT.
UM, THIS IS A BIG BUDGET AND $10 MILLION INCREASE THAT WE'RE REQUESTING TODAY.
UM, I WANTED YOU TO SEE WHAT A TYPICAL INCREASE LOOKED LIKE.
AND SO IF I, UM, IN THIS GRAPH FROM 2012 TO 2021, I WAS TO THE TOTAL EXPENDITURE BUDGET FOR THE GENERAL FUND IN THE YEARS WHERE WE HAD INCREASES BETWEEN 2012 AND 2020, THERE ARE EIGHT INCREASED, EIGHT YEARS INCREASES IN THERE.
UH, WHEN I TOOK AN AVERAGE, IT WAS RIGHT AT, I THINK IT WAS 9.9 SOMETHING MILLION DOLLARS.
SO THAT REALLY TELLS A STORY THAT A TYPICAL INCREASE IN THE DISTRICT OVER THAT PERIOD OF TIME.
THE RECOMMENDATION TODAY IS TYPICAL WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, AN ANNUAL INCREASE OF THE OPERATING BUDGET, OPEN STREETS.
AGAIN, IT DOES COVER, UM, TYPICALLY IN OUR BUDGET, WE'RE LOOKING AT A STEP INCREASE AND A COST OF LIVING INCREASE THIS YEAR.
WE'RE LOOKING AT TWO-STEP INCREASES AS WE INCREASE OUR BUDGET AND NO COST OF LIVING.
AND SO THERE, THERE ARE SOME WHAT, UH, I HAVE A SLIDE LATER ON THAT'S, WHAT'S IN THE BUDGET, WHAT'S NOT IN THE BUDGET.
AND SO THAT WILL DEMONSTRATE, UM, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU, YOU MAY HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT.
AND SO THIS TELLS A STORY OF A TYPICAL YEAR.
SO THE NEXT SLIDE IS ABOUT STUDENT ENROLLMENT.
UM, STUDENT ENROLLMENT IS USUALLY, IT IS THE BEGINNING OF OUR BUDGET CONVERSATION.
UM, THIS YEAR WASN'T A YEAR, UNLIKE ANY YEAR I'VE EVER SEEN.
AND IN THE 20 YEARS I'VE BEEN DOING THE BUDGETS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT.
UM, THERE WAS A DECLINE FROM 45 DAYS, 45 DAYS ACCOUNT AT 1,176 STUDENTS FROM THE PRIOR YEAR.
UM, IT'S NOT A POSITIVE THING WE LIKE TO TALK ABOUT, BUT IT IS HIS REALITY.
AND IT DOES HAVE AN EFFECT ON, UM, MANY ASPECTS OF OUR BUDGET.
UM, PRIMARILY THE AREAS THAT WERE AFFECTED ARE PRE-K AND KINDERGARTEN, THEY WERE 340 AND SEVEN STUDENTS STOPPED 30% OF THE TOTAL DECLINE IN THOSE TWO AREAS.
SO I LOOK AT OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS, I GOOGLE WHAT THEY'RE PRESENTING, WHAT ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT? WHAT ARE THEIR TOPICS, THE MAIN FOCUSES AND CHALLENGES.
ALMOST EVERY SINGLE DISTRICT THAT I'VE LOOKED AT HAS DECLINED IN ENROLLMENT, IN PROFIT.
THIS IS NATIONWIDE AND LOOKING
[01:10:01]
AT NORTHERN IOWA, UM, PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VIRGINIA, AND, YOU KNOW, THESE, THIS IS A VERY COMMON THEME THAT AFFECTING DISTRICTS ACROSS THE ENTIRE NATION.WE DO THINK THE STUDENTS WHO ARE COMING BACK TO OUR DISTRICT, IT JUST MAY TAKE SOME TIME AND I CAN GUESS, AND MAKE AN ASSUMPTION THAT IT MIGHT BE 30% OR 50% IN THE COMING YEAR, BUT REALLY THERE'S NOTHING NICK IT'S UNPRECEDENTED.
I HAVE NO HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE TO MAKE A PROJECTION OF LIKE THAT.
I AM HOPEFUL THAT WE WILL RECEIVE A PORTION, MAYBE A THIRD OF THE STUDENTS COMING BACK IN THE NEW YEAR, UH, BECAUSE EVERY, EVERY FAMILY NEEDED A DIFFERENT DECISION FOR DIFFERENT REASONS.
SO, UM, WE WILL SEE, UH, AND WE HAVE TO JUST PLAN FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF, OF THEM ALL COMING BACK OR, OR A LARGE MAJORITY OF THEM COMING BACK SO THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH TEACHERS AND STAFF IN OUR SCHOOLS TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THOSE THAT DO COME BACK.
UM, SO IN THAT I WANT TO SAY THAT OUR, THE ALLOCATION METHOD THAT WE USE, THE ENROLLMENT THAT WE USE FOR THIS BUDGET IS THE 2019, 20, 20, 40, 45 DAY ENROLLMENT.
SO THAT ENROLLMENT WAS SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF OCTOBER OF 2019.
AND THAT IS WHAT WE BASED OUR STAFFING ON THAT IS WHAT WE BASED OUR SCHOOLS BY ALLOCATION SONG.
AND, UM, AND THAT WAS, THAT IS THE BASIS OF THIS BUDGET.
UM, I DO, YOU ARE GOING TO SEE SOME IN DECREASES IN STAFFING AS, AS RICH MENTIONED.
AND THE REASON FOR THAT PRIMARILY IS BECAUSE OUR PROJECTED ENROLLMENT WAS 22,612 STUDENTS, THE 45 DAY COUNT OF THE 2019 2020 SCHOOL YEAR, WHICH I'M MENTIONING HERE WITH 22,405 STUDENTS THOUGHT PROJECTION WAS THAT ENROLLMENT IS ABOUT 207 OVER PROJECTED.
SO YOU'RE GOING TO SEE, SO WE SCALED BACK BASED ON WHAT ACTUAL STUDENTS WERE IN PLACE PRE PANDEMIC FROM OUR HIGHER, SLIGHTLY HIGHER PROJECTION.
NOW WE TYPICALLY EXPERIENCED A GROWTH OF ABOUT ONE TO 2% FOR YEAR HISTORICALLY, AND THAT'S WHY OUR PROJECTION IS AT THAT LEVEL.
UM, BUT OUR ACTUAL NUMBERS AND PRE PANDEMIC WERE WORLD-CLASS.
SO THOSE POSITIONS THAT WE'RE MENTIONING CORRELATE WITH, UH, A SLIGHT OVER PROJECTION OF THAT ENROLLMENT.
SO WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT BUILDING THIS BUDGET BASED ON CURRENT ENROLLMENT BECAUSE WE BELIEVE WE'RE GOING TO BE IN A FREE PANDEMIC STATE AT SOME POINT IN TIME.
SO I HOPE I EXPLAINED THAT IT IS RELATIVELY, RELATIVELY COMPLICATED, BUT, UM, IT IS, IN OUR OPINION, IT DOES KEEP THE CLASS SIZES AT, UM, AT A LOWER LEVEL.
AND IT PROVIDES US TIME TO ANALYZE THE ACTUAL DATA IN ORDER AND UNTIL THE ATTENDANCE AND THE ENROLLMENT STABILIZED.
SO, UM, WE WERE COMFORTABLE WITH GOING, AND IT WAS A SIMILAR PRACTICE FROM OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND CFOS THROUGHOUT THE STATE THAT I'VE TALKED WITH, UM, TO NOT PLAN ON CURRENT LEVELS OF ENROLLMENT, CONTINUING THAT WE ARE HOPEFUL AND, UM, ANTICIPATING THAT THAT WILL INCREASE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS.
SO, UM, THE NEXT SLIDE IS JUST A SUMMARY OF THE INCREASES IN THE CATEGORIES THAT WE TYPICALLY REPORT TO THE BOARD.
SO WE'RE JUST TAKING THE CURRENT YEAR BUDGET AMOUNT OF 254.3 MILLION.
THE STATE AND FEDERAL MANDATES ARE ABOUT 7.3 MILLION STAFFING ALLOCATION.
SO NEW STAFFING POSITIONS ARE 800,039, 839,000 OPERATIONAL INCREASES.
THOSE ARE OUR MAINTENANCE STUDIO.
AND SO ON THOSE TOP SERVICE CONTRACTS, BUT 1.6 MILLION OTHER INCREASES IN WHICH INCLUDE LIKE STEP IN INCREASES FOR ADMINISTER ADMINISTRATORS AND CLASSIFIED RIGHT IN THIS CATEGORY.
AND THEN THE DECREASES ARE GOING TO OPERATE THE DETAILS ON THAT SHORTLY.
BUT FOR THE MOST PART 68% OF THE INCREASES IN HIS 10 POINT MILLION DOLLAR, UM, INCREASE IN BUDGET 68% OF THE INCREASES ARE STATE AND FEDERAL MANDATES.
SO THE LION'S SHARE OF THE PROPOSAL IS, UH, JUST, JUST COVERING THE BASICS OF OUR COMPENSATION INCREASES FOR OUR STAFF.
SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE IS A DETAIL OF THE FIRST LINE INCREASE.
IT'S NOT SALARY AND FEDERALLY MANDATED INCREASES.
[01:15:01]
SALARY STEP INCREASE.WHAT ARE CERTIFIED STAFF ELIGIBLE, CERTIFIED STAFF OF 1.9 MILLION.
UM, THE NEXT YEAR ITEM IS THE SET SALARY AND STEP INCREASE FOR ELIGIBLE CERTIFIED STAFF.
THE 20 2122 SCHOOL YEAR IS LIKELY LOWER SINCE, UM, WE, UM, THE, THE NUMBERS OF TEACHERS WHO ARE APPROACHING THAT 24TH STEP, UM, GROWS EACH YEAR.
AND AS WE BACKFILL WITH, UM, YOUNGER, UM, YOUNGER TEACHERS.
SO THE RETIREMENT INCREASES PROJECTED, UH, HAS BEEN INDICATED FROM THE US PEBA, THE R EXCUSE ME, SOPHOMORE ON RETIREMENT SYSTEM IS INDICATED THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A 1% INCREASE.
HOW MANY EMPLOYEE EARN MATCH OF THE RETIREMENT? NOT, NOT AT ALL.
WE WOULD HOLDING AN EMPLOYEE THAT ON DISTRICTS MATCH, WHICH AFFECTS OUR BUDGET AND THEN A TYPICAL INCREASE.
BUT OUR HEALTH INSURANCE COSTS ARE ABOUT 1.6 OR ARE AROUND A ONE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLAR RANGE.
SO THIS IS A TYPICAL YEAR THERE.
UH, WE HAVE THREE SPECIAL EDUCATION STAFF SUPPORT, CASELOAD AND INCREASE OF HIGH AND STUDENTS AND FIVE AND A HALF ESL TEACHERS TO TRANSITION US FOR CLOSER TOWARD THE 60 TO ONE RATIO.
SO TOTAL INCREASES IN THIS CATEGORY ARE 7.3 MILLION STEP INCREASES.
I HAVE HAD SOME QUESTIONS FROM A REPORTER AS EARLY AS YESTERDAY THAT, UH, WHAT IS THE VALUE OF STEPPING CREASE? THE VALUES AT EACH LEVEL AT EACH STEP LEVEL ARE DIFFERENT, BUT ON AVERAGE FOR ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES, IT IS AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 2%.
UM, EACH STEP THAT IS BASED ON THE STATE, UH, MINIMUM SALARY SCHEDULE IS HAD TO HAVE DIFFERENT VALUES THROUGHOUT THE TABLES, BUT ON AVERAGE, IT WOULD PROVIDE A TWO FOR APPROXIMATELY A 2% INCREASE FOR OUR STAFF ON A STAFFING ALLOCATIONS, UM, THESE WORSE, UM, PRIMARILY SCHOOL-BASED AND DEPARTMENTAL.
UM, SO IT WAS A LOT OF CONVERSATION EARLIER IN THE YEAR ABOUT GUIDANCE COUNSELORS.
UH, WE DID TAKE A SPECIAL LOOK AT THE GUIDANCE COUNSELOR RATIO 300 IS ONE AND OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS.
UM, THERE WERE SEVERAL THAT DON'T ADD UP OR, UM, UH, CAME OUT AS, AS A NEED FOR INCREASING, AND WE SCALED THIS TO INCLUDE THREE GUIDANCE COUNSELORS TO GET US CLOSER, CLOSER DISTRICT-WIDE TO THE 301 RATIO.
THIS WAS SERVE THE SCHOOLS WITH THE HIGHEST RATIOS FIRST.
UM, AND THOSE ARE, UM, I NOT SURE THAT I REMEMBER EXACTLY WHERE THOSE ARE, BUT I CAN BRING, I WOULD BRING UP POSITION LISTING ON OUR NEXT CONVERSATION AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW, WHAT BLOOD LOCATIONS DOES, OR I DO KNOW THAT LEFT IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL RIVER BRIDGE, AND ROBERT SMALLS WERE THE THREE CATEGORIES.
UM, AND OTHER SCHOOL-BASED POSITIONS, UM, WITH DO THESE ARE SCHOOLS THAT HAD ENROLLMENT GROWTH IN LIGHT OF A PANDEMIC, EITHER AT SCHOOL-WIDE OR IN EITHER THE MIDDLE SCHOOL OR, UM, OR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CATEGORY.
SO THERE MAY HAVE BEEN CERTAIN GRADE LEVELS THAT A NEED OR A POSITION BECAUSE OF A VERY LARGE CLASS SIZE.
SO, UH, RIVER RIDGE FOR EXAMPLE, DID OVERALL, BUT NOT HAVE AN INCREASE IN ENROLLMENT THIS YEAR, BUT THEY HAVE CERTAIN GRADE LEVEL THAT HAD AN EXCESS NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN CLASSES.
SO THERE WAS A NEED FOR AN ADDITIONAL TEACHING POSITION THERE, UH, MAY RIVER LOVED THE MIDDLE PRAC AND THESE SCHOOLS ARE ALL GROWING IN SPITE OF PANDEMIC.
UM, SO THERE WERE A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL STAFFING AND SPECIFICALLY FOR PATIENTS.
UM, AND A FEW YEARS AGO, THEY'RE IN THE, UM, BUDGET REDUCTIONS THAT WERE MADE A FEW YEARS BACK.
UH, THE INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT WAS HIT RELATIVELY HARD.
UH, THIS BUDGET RESTORES TWO AND A HALF OF THE POSITIONS IN THAT APARTMENT, UM, THAT WOULD SUPPORT THEIR WORK IN THE CURRICULUM AND WITH OUR SCHOOLS AND THEN TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT POSITIONS.
UH, THESE HAVE BEEN REQUESTED FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, AND WE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FUND THEM.
UM, BUT BASICALLY, UH, THESE INCLUDE A NETWORK ENGINEER, WHICH IS TOTALLY, UM, WOULD BE SO PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE FOR NETWORK SECURITY AND, UH, AND GENERAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS SUPPORT IN, UH, DUE TO THE LARGER NUMBERS OF SOFTWARE SYSTEMS THAT WE'RE UTILIZING.
UM, TRUTHFULLY NOW, AS WE HAVE
[01:20:01]
A LOT, A LARGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS NEEDING TO DO REMOTE LEARNING, SO $839 OF INCREASES ON THE STAFFING, THE NEXT SLIDE IS OUR OPERATIONAL INCREASES AND DECREASES.UM, OUR MAINTENANCE CONTRACT IS, HAS A SLIGHT INCREASE, UH, CUSTODIAL, UM, AND, AND KEEP IN MIND, THESE ARE NON COVID RELATED ITEMS. WE DO USE LET OUT PORTION OF THE CONTRACTS THAT WE FEEL ARE DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTED TO COVID.
FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WERE X NUMBER OF ADDITIONAL STAFF, CUSTODIAL STAFF PLACED AT SCHOOLS TO DO THE SANITATION AND THE FOGGING SHEETS.
THOSE ARE BEING THAT PORTION OF THE CONTRACT ADDENDUM FOR EXTENSION ARE BEING PAID DIRECTLY WITH OUR PAYER SACRIFICED.
SO THIS IS THE PORTION THE BASE CONTRACT AND THE CONTRACT HAS, UH, UM, AND MANY OF THESE SERVICE CONTRACTS HAVE ON 3% CPI OR CONSUMER PRICE INDEX BUILT INTO THEIR CONTRACTS.
AND THAT CPI INCREASE GOES DIRECTLY TO SUPPORT GIVING COST OF LIVING INCREASES FOR OUR CONTRACTOR STAFF.
SO OUR MAINTENANCE WORKERS, CUSTODIAL WORKERS.
AND SO THOSE INCREASES ARE PASSED ALONG, UM, TO SUPPORT, UH, GIVING PAY INCREASES TO THEIR, UM, TO OUR CONTRACTORS STAFF, UM, UTILITIES, WOULD YOU EXPECT AN INCREASE IN UTILITIES? UM, THE COSTS AND IT HADN'T BEEN, UH, INCREASES IN, UH, IN THE PAST YEARS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE TRANSITION TO, UM, SCE AND G MINION AND SO ON.
SO WE DO EXPECT THERE TO BE SOME UTILITY INCREASES THEIR PROPERTY INSURANCE.
UM, I BELIEVE WE WILL BE HELD OUR BUDGET AGAIN FOR TWO YEARS.
SO THIS IS ONE YEAR WE'RE IN YEAR TWO OF THE SAME BUDGET.
SO WE, SOME OF THESE INCREASES MAY REFLECT A TWO YEAR INCREASE BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE AN INCREASE IN THE PRIOR YEAR BUDGET AT LIKE INSURANCE, UM, GIVES AS AN INCREASE IN THE 106,000, UM, SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS HAVE 150,000 A STORMWATER, THE NEXT THREE ITEMS, ACTUALLY THE BOTTOM, THE NEXT, THE BOTTOM TWO ITEMS ARE DIRECTLY PAYMENTS TO THE COUNTY, UH, BEAVER COUNTY.
UM, WE RECEIVE A TAX BILL EACH YEAR, UH, FOR ALL OF OUR PROPERTIES AND THE, THERE IS NO TAX ON THE BILL THAT THERE ARE FEES AND FEES INCLUDES STORM WATER, UTILITY FEES.
UH, THEY WERE APPROXIMATELY 250,000 A YEAR, $270,000 A YEAR FOR STORM WATER UTILITY FEES.
AND THEN WE ALSO PAY THE COUNTY FOR ANY REPAIRS ON AND SOME GASOLINE CHARGES ON OUR COUNTY VEHICLES.
SO WE DO, UM, MAKE THOSE PAYMENTS ON REGULAR EITHER MONTHLY OR QUARTERLY BASIS TO COUNTY.
A NEW FEE THIS YEAR WAS HILTON HEAD POLICE FEE.
THE DISTRICT IS GETTING CHARGE ON THOSE HILTON HEAD PROPERTIES FOR ABOUT $32,000.
UM, FOR THE HILTON HEAD LEASE FEED.
IT WAS NEWS TO THE US TAX PAYERS THIS YEAR.
AND, UH, I DID WANT TO BRING THIS TO THE BOARD'S ATTENTION.
UM, THIS FEE IS ME ALSO PAYS FOR RESOURCE OFFICERS TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE FOR HILTON AREA AND OTHERS.
AND, UM, THIS IS A NEW FEE THAT WAS INSTATED.
WE HAVE WRITTEN TWO LETTERS OF APPEALS TO DISPUTE.
THE, WHAT WE FEEL IS THE DUPLICATE DUPLICATION OF COSTS AND HAVE BEEN DENIED.
THAT MAY BE A PART OF A WORTHY DISCUSSION WHEN, WHEN WE HAVE THE JOINT MEETING WITH THEM, SO THAT THE TOTAL OPERATIONAL INCREASES ARE ESTIMATED AT 1.6 MILLION.
NO, AND THE FINALLY THE OTHER INCREASES INCLUDE, UH, STEP INCREASES FOR CLASSIFIED ADMINISTRATORS FOR THE CURRENT YEAR AND FOR THE NEXT YEAR.
UM, THOSE, UH, THE CURRENT YEAR WAS APPROVED ON THIS TUESDAY, APRIL 20TH.
AND SO WE ARE INCLUDING A STEP INCREASES FOR CLASSIFIED ADMINISTRATORS FOR IN THIS BUDGET FOR THE UPCOMING BUDGET YEAR AS WELL.
AND THEN I NOW HAVE 710,000, UM, CHARTER SCHOOL, UH, HAS AN INCREASE IN, WE HAVE A BUDGET ITEM INCREASE IN THAT LINE ITEM AND $761,000.
UM, THIS IS PRIMARILY DUE TO ENROLLMENT INCREASE.
UM, MAINLY ANNUAL, UH, THE CHARTER WAS RENEWED, UH, APPROXIMATELY TWO YEARS AGO, THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN STUDENTS
[01:25:01]
THAT WE LEARNT.UM, THERE WERE INCREASE OF ONE STUDENT PER CLASSROOM IN EACH LEVEL, AND IT WAS NOT DISCOVERED OF THE FISCAL IMPACT AND SHE'LL THE BUDGET HAD ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED OR THE 2020 SCHOOL YEAR.
UM, SO WE HAVE HAD THAT WHOLE, THAT BUDGET THE SAME FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS.
AND SO THIS IS BASICALLY TWO YEARS OF AN INCREASE IN THAT COST.
SO, UH, THAT CHARTER SCHOOL IS BASED ON US SPECIFIC FORMULA DEFINED BY STATE LAW.
AND IF THE AMOUNT THAT, ALTHOUGH THERE'S NO INCREASE IN STUDENTS THIS YEAR PROJECTED TO RIVERVIEW, UM, THEY'RE THE REVENUES THAT SUPPORT THAT, UM, THAT CALCULATION FLUCTUATE FROM YEAR TO YEAR AND THEIR ALLOCATION IS DIRECTLY BASED ON THAT STATE JOB, ALL REVENUES IN THE GENERAL FUND.
SO, UM, THERE IS FLUCTUATION YEAR BECAUSE OF THAT AS, AS REVENUES INCREASE AND, UH, OR IT MAY DECREASE, IT DOES HAVE A DIRECT EFFECT ON THE FOLLOWING YEAR'S BUDGET.
SO, UM, 761,000 IS THE AMOUNT OF THAT INCREASE NEEDED TO, UH, BRING THE BUDGET BACK IN LINE WITH THE ACTUAL SPENDING, IF YOU HAVE, UH, MAY HAVE NOTICED.
AND I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT A FEW TIMES THE RIVER VIEW CHARTER SCHOOL BUDGET, AND HAS BEEN EXCEEDING THE BUDGET FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS.
SO THIS BASICALLY RIGHT SIZES, THE BUDGET TO GET THINGS BACK IN LINE, UM, WITH THE ACTUAL AND HISTORICAL SPENDING.
SO $2.3 MILLION OF OTHER INCREASES ARE THERE.
UM, SO, AND, AND THEN WE HAD SOME, UH, EXPENDITURE DECREASES THAT WE ARE, UM, ARE PROJECTING.
SO, UH, AS OUR, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, OUR PROJECTED ENROLLMENT WAS A LITTLE HIGHER THAN OUR ACTUAL ENROLLMENT AT, IN THE 45TH DAY OF THE YEAR IN WHICH WE'RE BASING THIS BUDGET ON.
AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, REDUCE BY 15 POSITIONS BASED ON THAT ENROLLMENT OF ABOUT $900,000.
RODRIGUEZ HAS PLANNED FOR THOSE, AND THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT, UH, LEAVING THE DISTRICT.
UH, THEY'RE NOT POSITIONS THAT ARE COMPLETELY ELIMINATED, BUT WE'RE GOING TO UTILIZE THEM IN A DIFFERENT MANNER.
I THINK ROTARY ROTARY MIGHT WANT TO ADD.
SO STRATEGICALLY SPEAKING, I INTEND TO UTILIZE THOSE 15 POSITIONS AND REDUCE EITHER A REDUCED CLASS SIZE FOR ME, RIGHT.
AN INTERVENTION TO SUPPORT MULTIPLE CLASSES WITHIN A SCHOOLS.
AND I'M GONNA FOCUS THOSE POSITIONS WITHIN OUR ATSI SCHOOLS AND OUR PRIORITY SCHOOLS, UH, IN ORDER TO DO THAT.
SO THAT WILL BE THE TARGET AREA OF, UH, OF THESE 15 POSITIONS.
AND THEN, UM, I GUESS THE ONLY HALF THE EQUATION, WHICH I HAVEN'T SAID, I DON'T THINK TOM HAS SAID IS HOW ARE WE GOING TO KEEP THEM, RIGHT.
SO, SO, UH, EVENTUALLY WE'RE GOING TO GET USED, UM, DOLLAR STRONG FROM, UH, THE UPCOMING, UH, CALL IT S OR TWO OR THREE OR WHATEVER.
SO WE'RE ON RIGHT NOW, UH, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO USE IT FROM, UH, FROM THERE INITIALLY AS PART OF PART OF THE DOLLARS TARGETING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND TRUMPETING, UM, UH, PRIORITY SCHOOLS AS WELL WITHIN THE LIVING, THAT PART, THAT'S PART OF THAT PIECE.
UM, LOOKING AT, UM, TIERING OUR SCHOOLS WITHIN THE DISTRICT, BASED ON, UH, WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN TERMS OF, UH, WHERE STUDENTS ARE CURRENTLY AT CURRENTLY PERFORMING, UH, AND THEN, AND THEN PROVIDING ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS, UH, IN THOSE SCHOOLS WHERE, UH, WHERE THEY'RE NEEDED.
AND, UH, THEN THE OTHER ITEM OF EXPENDITURE INCREASES IN THE LAST, UH, TWO YEARS WE'D HAVE, UM, I CALL THIS RIGHT SIZING THE BUDGET, UH, THE ACTUAL, I BELIEVE THAT BASED ON HISTORICAL SPENDING, THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO SAVE ABOUT 300,000 IN SUBS IN THIS PARTICULAR CATEGORY.
UM, SO THAT HAS BEEN REDUCED TO SORT OF RIGHT SIZE OF BUDGET, A LITTLE MORE IN LINE WITH THE ACTUAL, UM, HISTORICAL SPENDING.
SO CALLED A 1.2 MILLION IN THAT CATEGORY.
SO AS WE MOVE ON TO THE SLIDE 22, UM, THE BOARD, UH, IN, UM, A FORMER BOARD MEMBER MAY REQUEST IN OUR LAST BUDGET YEAR, I BELIEVE IT WAS, OR POSSIBLY THE PRIOR YEAR, UM, TO CATEGORIZE THE BUDGET IN CERTAIN, IN A CERTAIN MANNER AND THE BEST WAY,
[01:30:01]
THE WAY IN WHICH, UM, IT WAS DESCRIBED FIT VERY NICELY WITH THE CURRENT STATE INSIGHT REPORT INSIGHT, UH, IS, WAS A SYSTEM WHERE THEY CAPTURE EXPENDITURES BY CERTAIN CATEGORIES EVERY YEAR.AND THEY, IT ALLOWS THEM TO BE COMPARED WITH ALL THE OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE STATE.
SO THE STATE USES THIS DATA TO SEE HOW MUCH WE'RE SPENDING IN LEADERSHIP AND OPERATIONS AND FINANCE AND HUMAN RESOURCES IN VARIOUS CATEGORIES.
AND THEY'RE LUMPED INTO THESE THREE MAIN AREAS, LEADERSHIP AND OTHER, WHICH REPRESENTS ABOUT $27.8 MILLION OF THIS PROPOSED BUDGET.
OPERATIONS IS ABOUT 47.8% MILLION OF THIS BUDGET AND INSTRUCTION AND INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT IS 190 MILLION APPROXIMATELY.
SO WHAT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS IS THAT 72% OF THIS BUDGET IS INSTRUCTION AND DIRECT INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT, UH, HANDOUT.
UM, THE OTHER ITEM THAT WAS FLOATED IN BOARD DOCS IS A HANDOUT OF DETAILS OF THE SPENDING IN EACH OF THESE, UH, PRIMARY CATEGORIES AND A LITTLE BIT FOR THE BREAKDOWN.
AND THEN AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS WITH HIM, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, DISCUSS MORE SPECIFIC IN DETAIL.
UM, BUT AS THIS BUDGET EVOLVES, EVERY TIME SOMETHING CHANGES IN IT, IT CHANGES ALL THE SCHEDULES.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE, YOU DON'T WANT TO GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES AND GIVE YOU TOO MUCH OF THE DETAIL UNTIL WE HAVE SOME, WE WANT TO JUST HAVE A POST LOOK AT THE CONCEPT OF, OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
AND THEN WE CAN DRILL DOWN INTO FURTHER DETAIL AS WE GO THROUGH MORE BUDGET CONVERSATIONS.
SO, UM, THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, IS, UH, IS A DESCRIPTION OF WHAT IS IN THIS BUDGET AND WHAT IS IN IT IS THE STEP INCREASE FOR THE CURRENT YEAR THAT WE'LL BE REOCCURRING INTO NEXT YEAR.
SO AGAIN, WE WERE FUNDING, IT WAS SAVINGS THIS YEAR, BUT WE HAVE TO ADD THAT TO OUR BUDGET AMOUNT IN ORDER TO FUND IT FOR FUTURE YEARS.
UM, STEPPING INCREASE FOR 20 2122, AND THESE ARE HER FOR ALL ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES UP TO THE 24TH STEP.
I MENTIONED EARLIER, AND HEALTH INSURANCE INCREASE.
ALL OF THE LOCALITY SUPPLEMENTS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS BUDGET.
THAT'S SOMETHING I WANT TO MAKE SURE TO, TO STAY TODAY.
UM, THERE IS NO REDUCTION, UM, THAT IS RECOMMENDED FOR THE LOW-CALORIE SUPPLEMENT, WHICH IS CURRENTLY 5,000 FOR TEACHERS AND 1500 FOR THE CLASSIFIED STAFF AND ADMINISTRATORS.
SO THIS BUDGET MOVES THOSE UP, UM, AS A, INTO THE NEXT YEAR, 19 SCHOOL-BASED POSITIONS, INCLUDING ESL AND TEACHERS GUIDANCE, SPECIAL ED, UM, AND FOUR AND A HALF DISTRICT POSITIONS TO TOTAL ABOUT 23 AND A HALF POSITIONS.
WHAT IS NOT IN THIS BUDGET IS A COST OF LIVING INCREASE.
AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT, UM, THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT.
I THINK THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME DISCUSSION YESTERDAY AND ACNE OR, UH, OPERATIONS COMMITTEE ABOUT TEACHER'S SALARIES, BUT YOU'RE GOING TO MENTION THAT IN JUST A FEW MOMENTS.
UM, AND EACH YEAR I GENERALLY PUT IN 10 TEACHERS JUST FOR GROWTH.
UM, I HAVE NOT PLACED THAT IN HIS BUDGET THIS YEAR.
WE, THERE IS NO, UM, ADDITIONAL, UH, HOT OF MONEY OR ADDITIONAL SOURCES FOR GROWTH IN THIS BUDGET.
I WANT MENTIONED THAT STEP INCREASES FOR STAFF BEYOND STEP 23, UM, THE ALL STEPS IN AT 24.
SO THE 23RD FOLKS WILL GET ONE MORE STEP INCREASE, AND THEN THEY, THEIR SALARIES WILL REMAIN THE SAME.
IF THAT, IF THERE IS, UM, THE ONLY TIME THERE IS AN INCREASE FOR THOSE FOLKS THAT ARE COMING FOR YEARS AND BEYOND, OR IF THERE ARE A TWO WAYS, IF THERE IS ONE OF BONUS, WHICH WE ARE PROVIDING, UM, BASED ON BOARD VOTE AND TO A COST OF LIVING INCREASE, INCREASES EVERY ITEM ON THAT SALARY SCHEDULE.
SO THAT IS A WAY TO, UM, CHANGE, UH, CHANGE THAT SCHEDULE, UM, INSTRUCTIONAL SOFTWARE RENEWALS.
WE, UH, LOOKED, TOOK A CLOSE LOOK IN ORDER TO FUND THE BASIC OPERATIONS OF THE DISTRICT, BUT THERE WERE SOME THINGS THAT WE WERE TRYING TO IDENTIFY THAT CARRIES ACT OR ESTHER OR WHATEVER ARE THEY NEW, ANY SOURCES MAY BE ABLE TO FUND.
AND THERE WERE SEVERAL INSTRUCTIONAL SOFTWARE PROGRAMS, TOTALING 1.5 MILLION THAT WE IDENTIFIED AS BEING DIRECTLY RELATING TO LEARNING LOSS.
AND SO, UH, IT WOULD BE, I HAVE LISTING AND I PROBABLY CAN'T OH, YES.
UM, A FEW EXAMPLES OF THAT, THE LARGER ONES, BUT INCLUDE IREADY, UH, EXACT PACK THREE BOX AT
[01:35:01]
SPROUTS.SOME OF THOSE THAT ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO INSTRUCTION.
SO ANY RENEWABLES, UH, OR NEW SOFTWARE SYSTEMS COULD BE FUNDED WITH THOSE, UM, CARES, UH, FUNDS AND DEPARTMENTAL INCREASES.
UH, THERE WERE REQUESTS FOR MULTIPLE POSITIONS.
UH, I'VE ONLY PUT A FEW OF THOSE INTO THIS BUDGET.
UH, IT WASN'T ABLE TO, TO SUSTAIN A LARGE NUMBER OF INCREASES WITH THE, AT THE MILLAGE RATE IT'S PROPOSED.
UM, SO THERE, THERE WERE QUITE A NUMBER OF REDUCTIONS IN THE INCREASES THAT WERE REQUESTED.
AND SO, UH, WE WANT TO, WE'RE ALSO USING THE, UM, S3 THREE OR ARBOR FUNDS TO COVER THINGS LIKE MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING, UM, AND TO ASSIST WITH RECRUITING TEACHERS DURING THIS TIME, UM, OR VACANT POSITIONS.
AND SO THOSE THINGS WHERE YOU ADVISED WHENEVER POSSIBLE, UM, OR IT WAS ELIGIBLE OR ALLOWABLE WITHIN THOSE FEDERAL FUNDS, THAT WE TOOK AN OPPORTUNITY TO UTILIZE THOSE EFFORTS AND GET A RETURN.
UM, ONE MAJOR THING I WANT TO TALK ABOUT, AND THIS ISN'T A BOARD POLICY IS SECURITY GUARDS AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
UH, I KNOW THAT ONE 15 OPERATIONAL EXPECTATION, 15 ON THE BOARD POLICY DOES STATE THAT THERE WILL BE SECURITY AT EACH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
UH, WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF SCHOOLS WITH SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS THAT WERE SAFE FUNDED LAST YEAR.
UM, BUT THE MAJORITY OF THEM, UH, DO NOT HAVE THAT SECURITY THERE ABOUT, UM, 1 MILLION IS ABOUT A MILLION.
AND SO I WANT TO MAKE YOU AN, UH, MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW, THAT THIS BUDGET DOES NOT INCLUDE THAT MILLION DOLLARS FOR SECURITY GUARDS.
UM, IF I CAN JUST JUMP IN HERE, I THINK THIS IS A GOOD POINT FOR US TO HAVE A IMPORTANT CONVERSATION, WHICH IS, UM, SIMILAR TO GUIDANCE COUNSELORS SIMILAR TO THIS PIECE HERE AND THE SHARED CONVERSATION.
WELL, THIS IS MORE THAN CONVERSATION.
THIS IS ACTUALLY A BOARD, A MOTION AND A BOARD VOTE THAT TOOK PLACE, AND IT'S ACTUALLY BUILT INTO POLICY, UH, RIGHT NOW AS WELL.
SO, UM, BECAUSE IT'S BUILT IN THE POLICY, I'M ASSUMING, UM, THAT IS SOMETHING THE BOARD IS STILL INTERESTED IN TAKING PLACE.
AND IF THAT IS THE CASE, ONE OF THE THINGS I WOULDN'T LIKE, UH, SOME RECOMMENDATION OR DIRECTION FROM THE BOARD, BECAUSE THERE'S THREE OPTIONS IN HOW YOU DEAL WITH THIS.
RIGHT? AND SO ONE OPTION IS A COUPLE MORE OF THE BASIC BUDGET THAT IS BEING SHARED.
UM, AND THEN IF THEY'RE STARTING TO GET INTO PROBLEMS, STARTING TO GET INTO PEOPLE, I WOULD IMAGINE, AND THEN SECOND WAY IT IS, UM, TO DIP INTO THE PHONE BALANCE.
BUT IF YOU DO THAT, UH, THAT'S JUST A ONE YEAR SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM.
AND, AND YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE RIGHT BACK AT IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR, RIGHT.
UH, OR THE THIRD WAY IS, IS THAT MILLAGE UP AGAIN? RIGHT? THOSE ARE SOME OF THOSE ARE THE FREEWAYS.
UH, THE TAGLINE IS I WOULD LIKE SOME, SOME DIRECTION FROM THE BUDGET ON THIS BUDGET, FROM THE, UH, FROM THE BOARD, UH, ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM, BECAUSE IT IS A POLICY, RIGHT? THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
UM, SO THAT DID STEM FROM AN OCTOBER, 2019, UH, BOARD VOTE.
AND THAT WAS A UNANIMOUS DECISION BY THE BOARD AT THAT TIME.
AND THEN ADDITIONALLY, LIKE YOU MENTIONED, UM, OH, EIGHT 15 THAT STATES THAT WE WILL HAVE THEM AT EACH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
UM, I DON'T NECESSARILY THINK THAT IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE WE WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT, OH, WE'RE CUTTING HERE TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
UM, IT WAS A BOARD VOTE AND ALSO IT'S BEEN CODIFIED INTO POLICY.
SO I KNOW THAT FOR, UH, THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF OR SO, UM, I'VE KNOWN THAT THE BUDGET WAS STAYING FAST AT WHERE IT HAD BEEN.
AND THAT, THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT SOMETHING THAT COULD BE PUT INTO EFFECT AT THAT POINT IN TIME.
SO IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE BUILT INTO THE NEXT BUDGET.
SO I'M HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED TO SEE THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN INCLUDED, UM, WITH THESE ITEMS AND DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE STATE MANDATED, BECAUSE THIS IS BOARD MANDATED, IN MY OPINION.
[01:40:01]
I, I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT, UH, BUILT INTO THE BUDGET, UM, THAT HAS BEEN MY DISCUSSIONS THROUGHOUT THE LAST YEAR OR SO, UM, IS THAT IT WAS, UM, GOING TO BE A PART OF THE NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET AND SOMETHING THAT WAS GOING TO BE PUT INTO EFFECT.SO, UM, I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM MY OTHER BOARD MEMBERS, I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYONE ELSE IS AS DISAPPOINTED AS I AM, BUT I KNOW THAT THE COMMUNITY SPOKE AT LARGE, THAT SAFETY AND SECURITY WAS ONE OF THEIR TOP PRIORITIES.
THEN I KNOW IT'S A BOARD PRIORITY AS WELL.
SO JUST AS, UH, OTHER ITEMS ARE IMPORTANT HERE IN THE BUDGET, I THINK MAKING SURE FIRST AND FOREMOST THAT OUR STAFF AND OUR STUDENTS FEEL SAFE IN THEIR SCHOOL FACILITIES, UM, TAKES PRECEDENCE.
SO, YOU KNOW, STOP IT, STOP IT.
MY PREFERENCE WOULD BE WHAT YOU JUST SAID IS LET'S HEAR THE WHOLE THING.
AND THEN, UM, HOW ABOUT A 10 MINUTE BREAK? WE'VE BEEN GOING AT THIS FOR A LONG TIME.
SO WE'RE GONNA RECONVENE AT 10 53 AND I'VE RECEIVED REQUESTS FROM PEOPLE THAT ARE ATTENDING VIRTUALLY THAT THEY'RE HAVING TROUBLE HEARING, UNLESS YOU ARE CLOSE TO YOUR MICROPHONE.
SO PLEASE SPEAK CLOSE TO THE MICROPHONE.
AND WE'LL READ YOU ZOOM THE MEETING.
IT'S 10 53, TURN TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
STARTING TEACHER SALARIES LEAVE.
THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION, UM, MINI MEETING YESTERDAY ABOUT TEACHER SALARIES.
I DON'T KNOW THE DETAILS OF IT, ACTUALLY.
I HAVEN'T, UH, MS. WALTON AND I HAVEN'T DISCUSSED THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THERE WERE SOME CALCULATIONS OF THE NEED FOR MAINTAINING OUR COMPETITIVENESS WITH OTHER CARE DISTRICTS IN SURROUNDING DISTRICTS ON THE FORM OF TEACHER SALARIES.
SO, UH, I THOUGHT TWO YEARS AGO, I DID THE SAME CHART IN OUR BUDGET TIME.
AS WE LOOK BACK AT EACH OF THESE DISTRICTS, AND MOST OF, MANY OF THEM HAD INCREASES IN THE BASE TEACHER SALARY.
SO THIS SALARY NOW IS THE BACHELOR'S WITH NO YEARS IT ZERO YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.
SO FOR BUFORD, OUR RATE BASE RATE IS 36,928, WHICH IS IN GREEN.
AND THEN WASN'T THE YELLOW IS THE LOCALITY SUPPLEMENT OF $5,000.
SO THAT'S A ADDITION THAT WE PAY OUT TWICE A YEAR, A BONUS IN DECEMBER AND IN MAY.
SO IT IS FACTORED IN, AND I THINK IT'S A GREAT RECRUITING TOOL BASED ON WHAT I'VE HEARD FROM THE HUMAN RESOURCES, BOTH.
AND IT PUTS US ABOVE AND BEYOND.
BUT, UM, THE OTHER DISTRICTS, UH, FROM CHARLESTON REGIONAL TO LEXINGTON FIVE, I CHOSE SOME SO DISTRICTS THAT WERE SIMILAR IN SIZE OR, OR CLOSE GUY, AND, UM, Y'ALL WERE FEET AND FOUND THAT THE BASE SALARIES AND MOST OF THE OTHER COUNTIES ARE EXCEEDING OUR, THE BUFORD BASED TEACHER SALARY OF 36, NINE 28.
AND I THINK THAT WAS MESSAGE THAT MAY HAVE BEEN DELIVERED YESTERDAY OR BEFORE IN THAT MEETING AS WELL.
AND SO, UM, WE ASKED ME IF THIS IS YEAR TWO, UM, UM, NOT HAVING A COST OF LIVING INCREASE FOR TEACHERS OR OTHER STAFF.
UM, WE DID HAVE A 4% INCREASE TWO YEARS AGO THAT WAS MANDATED BY THE STATE.
UM, BUT THAT WAS ACCOUNT, UH, STATEWIDE MANDATE.
SO EVERYONE WOULD HAVE KEPT AT THAT PACE, UM, DURING THAT TIMEFRAME.
SO I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF, UH, LOOKING, LOOKING AT THAT RATE, KEEPING IT COMPETITIVE, AND THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT
[01:45:01]
IS TO ADD A COST OF LIVING OR SOME INCREASE ON, ON THAT BASE SALARY.COME BACK TO THAT IN JUST A MOMENT.
UM, AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY A LONGTERM CONSIDERATION THAT WE, THE BOARD, UM, SHOULD DISCUSS AND, UM, CONSIDER IF THERE ARE ANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR ANY INCREASES IN THE BUDGET OR CHANGES TO ITS BUDGET, UM, OR WHATEVER, UM, WHATEVER FUNDING SOURCES MAY BECOME AVAILABLE.
SO, UH, IT'S LIKE 25 IS A PRELIMINARY, I'VE WATCHED 22 BUDGET.
UM, I JUST SUMMARIZE THINGS TO TRY TO SIMPLIFY THINGS.
UM, OF COURSE, UH, THIS IS A THREE-YEAR LOOK AND 2019 2020, THE AUDITED NUMBERS SHOWED THAT WE HAD SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS DURING THE CLOSURE IN MARCH OF 2020.
SO WE EXPERIENCED AN $11 MILLION INCREASE IN SUNDANCE, WHICH IS AN AMAZING THING FOR US, FOR THE FUND BALANCE FOR OUR NEEDS REGARDING CASH FLOWS AND FOR OUR CREDIT RATING ON THE DEBT SIDE.
SO AS OF THE END OF LAST SCHOOL YEAR, WE WERE AT 16.6% FUND BALANCE PERCENTAGE, WHICH FALLS ON THE UPPER, NEAR THE UPPER SIDE OF OUR RANGE OF 15 TO 17%.
AND IT GIVES US 60.7 DAYS OF OPERATIONS, UM, IN OUR, IN OUR FUNDS, WHICH IS, WHICH WAS A STRONG POSITION, UM, IN, IN RELATION TO WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IN THE PAST IN OUR DISTRICT.
UM, SO THIS LOOKS REALLY GREAT.
I MEAN, VERY AGENCIES LOVE TO SEE A, UH, ADDITION TO THE FUND BALANCE AND THE PERCENTAGE CLIMBING.
SO IN THE SECOND, IN THE MIDDLE COLUMN, AS OUR 2021 PROJECTED ACTUALS, I AM PROJECTING THAT WE RECEIVE ALL OF THE LOCAL REVENUES, UH, AND THEN WITH THE ADDITIONS OF ADDITIONAL EXPENDITURES OF THE TOOTH, THE BONUS AND STAFF THAT WE APPROVED THAT WERE WORK GROUP, I BELIEVE WE'LL SPEND IF PRETTY CLOSE TO OUR, UM, EXTENDED AND TOTAL EXPENDITURE BUDGET AMOUNT.
AND SO IT LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT BE A SLIGHT USE OF FUND BALANCE.
UM, I'LL TURN ON A SALE OF THIS BUDGET 300,000 BEING SLIGHT.
UM, BUT WE COULD COME IN AND EVEN EVEN BETTER IF IT DEPENDS ON STATE REVENUES AND TAX REVENUES IS OKAY ARE COMING DUE, BUT I GENERALLY LOOK, OH, THE CONSERVATIVE SIDE ESTIMATE ON THE CONSERVATIVE SIDE AND THINGS USUALLY END UP BEING BETTER THAN I EXPECTED.
SO I'M HOPEFUL FULL OF THAT WILL CONTINUE THIS YEAR.
SO BALANCE IS, UH, UH, WAS IT 44,777,000? THAT WOULD BE A THERE'LL WOULD BE A SLIGHT DECLINE FOR THAT IF WE HAD A USE OF FUNDS.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, CHRIS, I THINK THAT ALL OF THE VERY FAVORABLE TO EITHER MAINTAIN OUR, OR INCREASE THAT IN THE CURRENT YEAR AND AGAIN, IN THE FAR RIGHT HAND COLUMN, UH, BASICALLY I'M JUST DISPLAYING IT, THE REVENUES, UM, TO SUPPORT, UH, THIS BUDGET OR 265.1 MILLION AT THIS TIME.
UH, AND SO WE HAVE OUR EXPENDITURES AT THAT SAME RATE TO BALANCE THE BUDGET.
AND, UM, WE WOULD STILL BE IN THAT 16.2% RANGE OF FUND BALANCE.
UH, AS WE MOVE FORWARD AGAIN, THESE NUMBERS WILL CHANGE AND I'LL KEEP YOU POSTED AS WE GET MORE INFORMATION.
THE NEXT SLIDE IS THE IMPACT ON THE TAXPAYER.
SO I HAVE A COUPLE OF SCENARIOS IN ADDITION TO THIS ONE WRITTEN DOWN.
UM, SO, BUT WITH A, UM, $250,000 HOME, NOW THESE ARE, I'VE WROTE SOME ASTERISKS IT'S AT THE BOTTOM, UH, THAT THESE ARE OPERATION SCHOOL DISTRICT OPERATIONS AND TAXES ARE APPLICABLE TO NON OWNER OCCUPIED HOMES.
SO IT IS NOT THE PRIMARY RESIDENCE OF THE INDIVIDUAL.
SO THESE WOULD BE A SECOND HOME OR ANY OTHER PROPERTY THAT WAS TESTED AT 6% RATIO WILL BE ABLE OR, OR SO ON.
SO, BECAUSE ASSUMPTION I'M MAKING HERE IN SCENARIO ONE IS THAT THERE IS A $250,000, OUR HOME SECOND HOME.
UM, IT WOULD BE 4.4 ADDITIONAL MEALS AT A 6% RATIO ASSESSMENT RATIO.
THE ADDITIONAL TAXES PER YEAR ON THAT WOULD BE $66.
AND IN SCENARIO TWO, A $400,000 HOME WOULD BE ABOUT APPROXIMATELY AN ADDITIONAL TAX OF 106, $6 PER YEAR.
SO IF I WERE TO, I HAVE CALCULATED THE SCENARIOS OF A 7.6 MILLION INCREASE, AND THAT WOULD BE $114 INCREASE ON A $250,000 HOME AT $182 ON $400,000 HOMES.
SO THAT WOULD BE THE DIFFERENCES.
AND, UH, I'LL MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE THOSE IN FUTURE PRESENTATIONS AS WE GO FORWARD
[01:50:01]
TO PROVIDE ESTIMATES OF WHAT THAT IMPACT LOOKS LIKE, UM, OUR TAX AREA.YEAH, AGAIN, UH, I THINK I SKIPPED AHEAD OF MYSELF EARLIER, BUT THIS IS A CHART OF UNBALANCED, UM, ON SLIDE 27.
AND, UH, SO THE POLICY FINANCE POLICY CHANGE TWO YEARS AGO, IT WAS 13 TO 15% AND NOW IT'S 15 TO 17%.
UM, SO THE BOARD HAD RECOGNIZED THE EFFORTS, UH, THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FUND BALANCE OF GETTING TO A HIGHER LEVEL JUST FOR OUR DEBT RATING.
UH, AND SO WE ARE RIGHT WITHIN THAT RANGE AND ARE CURRENTLY EXPECTED TO THE JUST BELOW 60 DAYS THAT ARE RECOMMENDED 60 DAYS OF OPERATIONS THAT ARE RECOMMENDED BY THE GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION.
UH, THAT'S WHERE I GO TO FOR BEST PRACTICES AND FINANCIAL OPERATIONS OF THE DISTRICT.
THE STATE DEPARTMENT ALSO HAS A 30 DAY MINIMUM, 30 DAYS OF OPERATIONS AS A MINIMUM FUND BALANCE.
IF YOU GO BELOW THAT, UH, YOU HAVE YOU GET ON, UM, LOOK HIGHER MARKS ON THE RISK ASSESSMENT THAT WE BROUGHT FORWARD A FEW WEEKS AGO, THAT WE HAD A PERFECT SCORE ON, WELL, IF YOU GO BELOW 30, YOU'RE GOING TO GET A LETTER AND YOUR RISK GOES HIGHER.
AND SO YOU'RE, UM, FROM THE STATE'S PERSPECTIVE.
SO, UM, THIS, THE HEALTHY FUND BALANCE WILL HELP REDUCE OPERATING COSTS.
LONG-TERM ON OUR DEBT SIDE DEBT SERVICE SIDE.
SO AGAIN, FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS I'M MAINTAINING AND HAD TO BREAK YOUR TEACHER.
SALARIES IS GOING TO BE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US IN THE COMING YEARS.
UM, TYPICALLY IN LAW, IN LIGHT OF THE CHANGES AND DUE TO COVID, UH, IT'S, IT'S GOING TO BE, UH, WE'RE GOING TO NEED AN ATTRACTIVE RATE TO, UM, RECRUIT, BE ABLE TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN OUR TEACHERS.
UM, WE CONTINUE, SHOULD CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR STATE FUNDING.
UM, AND 0.4% OF BASE STUDENT COST IS ABOUT $600 PER STUDENT THAT WE RECEIVED FROM THE STATE ON OUR PRIMARY FUNDING FORMULA FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
UH, WE SPEND MORE THAN THE EIGHT TO 9,000 PER STUDENT RANGE ON AVERAGE.
UM, I'LL BRING SOME SPECIFIC NUMBERS BACK IN THE FUTURE MEETINGS, BUT, UH, THAT'S PRETTY SMALL NUMBERS COMPARED TO MANY OTHER DISTRICTS, EVEN OUR SIZE IN OTHER DISTRICTS.
SO, UH, KEEPING AN EYE ON THAT, UH, AND THEN MAINTAINING OR INCREASING FUND BALANCE TO SECURE THE AA ONE CREDIT RATING AND SUFFICIENT CASH RESERVES TO REDUCE AND ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR TAX ANTICIPATION.
THAT IS ACTUALLY AN OPERATIONAL LOOK, STICK, UH, EXPECTATION 5.2 AND MORE POLICY.
SO, UM, YEAH, I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT AS WELL.
SO MY RECOMMENDATION IN THIS BUDGET IS TO SUPPORT, UM, AT LEAST A 44, UH, 4.4 MIL INCREASE TO FUND COMPENSATION INCREASES AND OPERATIONAL BASIC OPERATIONAL NEEDS OF THIS BUDGET AND OF THE DISTRICT.
UM, THIS WOULD MEAN A $265.1 MILLION EXPENDITURE BUDGET.
AND, UH, I'M PROPOSING THAT WE, UH, THE BOARDS BE ABLE TO CERTIFY THE BUDGET BY MAY 18TH IN TIME FOR THE, THE LAST POSSIBLE, UH, MEETING DATE, UH, OR THE FIRST POSSIBLE PUBLIC HEARING DATE AND POET READING DATE WITH COUNTY COUNCIL WOULD BE IN THE MARCH 24TH OR 25TH, UH, TIMEFRAME.
SO WE DO, UM, WELL, WE HAVE ABOUT A MONTH TO, TO, UH, SCOUR THROUGH THIS BUDGET AND GET SOME FINAL DECISIONS MADE BEFORE, UH, WE'LL LEAVE, GO TO COUNTY COUNCIL FOR THEIR FINAL APPROVAL.
SO IN THE MEANTIME, UM, JUST SOME OF THE NEXT STEPS THAT WE'RE TAKING ARE, UM, JUST TODAY GETTING MORE INPUT AND THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE NEXT MONTH, UM, WE'RE GOING TO BE SEEKING COMMUNITY INPUT FROM THE PUBLIC FORUM THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING.
UH, WE'RE GOING TO BE UPDATING OUR ESTIMATES PROBABLY ON A DAILY BASIS IS NUMBER, NUMBER STRICKLAND EVERY DAY.
AND, UM, AND WHAT WOULD BE ANOTHER STEP I HADN'T MENTIONED HERE, WE'LL BE BRINGING SOME DETAILS.
YOU, THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS IN BOARD POLICY THAT, UM, VIRUS TO BRING FORWARD, UH, DATA BY CALL CENTERS LIKE A COST CENTER APPROACH.
SO YOU WILL SEE DATA FROM THE SCHOOL LEVELS AND DEPARTMENTAL LEVELS, UM, JUST A LITTLE TOO MUCH, UH, FOR TODAY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH, BUT WE'RE CERTAINLY GOING TO BE GRINDING THAT UP TO BRINGING THAT BACK TO A FUTURE MEETING, UH, ALONG WITH THE FIVE-YEAR PROJECTION INFORMATION, UH, GOING, LOOKING OUT FIVE YEARS AND THEN HAVING A MULTI-YEAR APPROACH TO LOOK AT WHERE WE'VE BEEN IN THE PAST.
AND SO AGAIN, THIS BUDGET SCHEDULE IS THE SAME AS, UM,
[01:55:01]
EARLIER ON IN THE CONVERSATION.UM, AND, UH, JUST PUTS US IN LINE FOR OUR FUTURE MEETINGS WITH COUNTY COUNCIL.
AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION TODAY.
WE HAVE SOME QUESTIONS OR HANDS UP, MR.
I JUST WONDER WHO IN THIS DISCUSSION COUNCIL, ANYONE, SARAH BACK, THEY HAVE AN OBJECTION TO WHAT YOU CAN SAY.
I HAVE NOT THIS INFORMATION TO COUNTY, TO COUNTY OFFICIALS AT THIS TIME.
I WANTED THE BOARD TO GET FIRST LOOK AT THAT.
AND SO I HAVE, UM, INTENTION OF CONTACTING AND MEETING WITH, UM, WENDY RICHLAND, THE CFO AND THEIR BUDGET OFFICER, AND NEXT, UM, HOPEFULLY NEXT WEEK OR IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE SO THAT WE CAN GET SOME FEEDBACK ON WHAT THOSE LIZ THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
UM, YOU MIGHT, YOU MIGHT BE ANSWERING MY QUESTION WHEN YOU GIVE US THE DETAIL, BUT WHEN WE SAY THAT WE NEED A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE LINE DRAWN BETWEEN THAT MONEY AND A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
UM, AND I THINK YOU SAID THAT THE LINE ITEMS ARE GOING TO BE TAGGED, BUT JUST GENERALLY SAYING THAT WE NEED THIS MONEY FOR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, DOESN'T REALLY SATISFY MY CURIOSITY.
I'D REALLY LIKE TO SEE WHAT IN A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, THIS MONEY IS TAGGED ON AND THE SAME THING FOR THE TEACHER SALARIES.
UM, AND I ATTENDED THE, THE MEETING WHERE, WHERE THAT PRESENTATION WAS MADE, BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR STUDENT OR A TEACHER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION.
AND THEN I'D LIKE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, HOW THE SALARIES FIT INTO THAT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, BECAUSE I'M NOT A BIG FAN OF SAYING THAT INCREASING SALARIES WILL AUTOMATICALLY, UM, ASSIST YOU IN RETAINING YOUR, YOUR EMPLOYEES.
UM, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT BEEN MY EXPERIENCE.
IT'S USUALLY MUCH MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT.
THERE'S CULTURE ISSUES AND TEAM ISSUES AND SUPPORT ISSUES THAT ARE AS IMPORTANT.
UM, AS THAT BIWEEKLY SMILE YOU GET FROM YOUR PAYCHECK.
UM, SO I'D LIKE TO SEE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, AND MAYBE WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO DO THAT FOR THIS BUDGET, BUT THAT, BUT THAT WOULD REALLY SATISFY ALL MY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU, MR. NOW, CHEMO, I DON'T KNOW WHO HAS THOUGHT TELL YOU THAT I HAVE THIS THOUGHT WITH LAUGH A LITTLE BIT.
SO IT REALLY EXPENDITURE BUDGET AT AVERAGE RATE OF ALMOST, THEY MAY HAVE DOLLARS UP UNTIL TWO YEARS AGO.
AND THE LAST TWO YEARS THAT'S BEEN VALUED AT 254 MILLION, RIGHT? AND, UH, IF YOUR ANTICIPATED THE WORLD, IF YOU ALSO NOTICED THE APPROVED PRIOR THREE YEARS TOO, THAT WAS EVEN A LITTLE STEEPER THAN AN EARLIER, WHICH MEANS THAT THE COST OF THINGS WERE GOING UP AND OUR PROCESS WAS COSTING MORE TO EDUCATE 54 WEEKS TO A YEAR, 219 WEEK.
WE HIRED A NEW ADMINISTRATOR OR SUPERINTENDENT, AND BASICALLY GIVEN THEM VERY LITTLE TO WORK WITH OTHER THAN WHEN HE CAME INTO IT.
BUT ONE OF THE BIG MANDATES THAT WE HAD WAS HE, HE WAS GOING TO TURN THINGS AROUND AND KEEP A LOT MORE ZOOMING ON ACHIEVEMENT.
AND I'VE, I'VE BEEN PRESENT TO THE BUS TO THE PRESENTATION LAST FEW YEARS.
AND SO THE SUBSCRIPTION, JUST QUESTION, I'VE SEEN HIM VERY LITTLE IN TERMS OF ELEMENTAL ADJUSTMENTS TO STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT,
[02:00:01]
BUT THERE, UH, INFORMATION DIRECTLY TO THAT TEACHER'S SALARY.AND I'LL BE ONE TO SAY, I DO BELIEVE THAT TEACHERS SHOULD GET THAT RAISE AND THAT COST OF LIVING RAISE BECAUSE THEY LIVE AND WORK AND HAVE NOTHING ELSE.
DURING THE SPEND, DEBBIE, WE SAW THE GREATNESS AND THE WORK OF THE EDUCATORS.
HOW CAN WE NOT GIVE THEM A COST OF LIVING INCREASE AND NOT BUILD IT IN? YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST NOT FAIR TO SAY, HEY, WE'LL GIVE YOU A ONE-TIME BONUS.
THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A PART OF MY CONCERN IS FUNDAMENTAL SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION OR REAL BELIEF AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND TRYING TO IMPROVE THE SYSTEM OF EDUCATING THE MILITARY ALLOWS US A LITTLE BIT.
AND
WHAT I NEED IS EVIDENCE WE NEED TO, WE CAN'T FIND A WAY TO SPEND THE MONEY THAT WE NEED.
THAT'S ALLOWED US IN A TIME OF PANDEMIC AND A TACO LACK, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, AND THE PANDEMIC DOES NOT LEAVE US.
THEN WE REALLY DON'T NEED ANY MONEY TO SUPPORT THE BUDGET, BEING THE SAME THING FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS.
SO I'M NOT VERY IMPRESSED AT ALL WITH TEACHER SALARY.
SO THERE'S A MYTH THAT WE DO A BETTER JOB WITH COMING TEACHERS BY GIVING THEM THAT LITTLE TOWN HALL, BECAUSE YOU'LL LOOK AT THE OTHER, UH, BEARING COUNTIES.
AFTER ABOUT THREE YEARS, THEY'VE GONE PAST THAT LOCALE AND THEY'RE CONTINUALLY STAFFING.
AND OUR FIRST YEAR TEACHERS HAVE SPENT THE LOCALE MONEY AND IT IS STILL TRYING TO CATCH UP.
THIS IS FALLING IN TERMS OF US SAYING WE SUPPORTING BASIC EDUCATION, GOOD DOCS.
WE SHOULDN'T ALLOW OTHER PEOPLE TO SAY, THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
RECENTLY, THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS, WE FOUND SOME INFORMATION AND THE AD HOC COMMITTEE AND AT THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE, WHICH I SEE ONE DAY HR CAME IN AND SAID, WE'RE OVERDUE FOR A SALARY.
I HAVE NEVER BEEN ON THE SALARY REVIEW.
THEY SAID, OH, YOU CAN REDUCE SALARY.
DIDN'T WE SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON IT.
WE HAVE SOME ISSUES IN STUDENT SERVICES.
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT THAT? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT THAT EFFICIENCY? HOW ARE WE GOING TO RESPOND TO THAT? I DON'T SEE IT HERE.
THE SRO IS IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
WE SAID THAT THAT WAS IMPORTANT FOR THAT.
AND SO DID EVERYBODY ELSE IN THAT SCHOOL, WE ALSO HEARD ON THE GROWTH COMMITTEE YESTERDAY FROM THE MAYOR ABOVE HIM, THEY EXPECT TO HAVE BUILDING PERMITS FOR 1000 NEW POEMS. THIS YEAR ISN'T STOPPED.
WHAT SHE SAID WAS THERE ISN'T ANY HOMES AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW, BUT THEY'RE BUILDING FOLKS AND THEY'RE GOING TO PUT KIDS.
I LOOKED AT WHAT, HOW MUCH AND MILLAGE RATE IT'S GOING TO COST FOR A PERSON THAT'S RENTING OUT THEIR HOME ON A SHORT-TERM BASIS OR ON A LONG-TERM BASIS, EVEN.
AND FOR A $400,000 HOME IN SEVEN POINT THING, WHATEVER IT WAS, UH, IT'S LESS
[02:05:01]
THAN $20 A MONTH.AND OF COURSE THE LANDLORD IS GOING TO PASS THAT ALONG.
AND THE LANDLORD IS GOING TO SAY, WELL, WE HAVE AN AFFORDABILITY ISSUE, UH, FOR LOW-INCOME HOUSING AND SO ON.
BUT MOST PEOPLE CAN AFFORD A $20 A MONTH INCREASE IN THEIR RENT.
THEY GIVE US MORE, BUT ALL THAT ASIDE, THERE'S A $64,000 QUESTION.
AND THE $64,000 QUESTION IS TO OUR SUPERINTENDENT.
CAN YOU ACHIEVE ALL THAT WE ARE EXPECTING FROM YOU? AND WE WILL EVALUATING YOU ON A 4.4 INCREASE.
THEN I, THEN I'M GOING TO ROLL OVER AND SAY, WELL, ALL THIS OTHER STUFF, YOU CAN FIGURE IT OUT.
IF YOU SAY NO, THEN TELL ME WHEN I TELL ME WHAT BILLINGS WE NEED TODAY, THE ANSWER IS, IS NO, NO, NOT GIVEN THE EXPECTATIONS THAT THE BOARD HAS IN TERMS OF EITHER STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT OR IN TERMS OF, UH, THE ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS THAT THE BOARD HAD REQUESTED SUCH AS SECURITY, GUARDS, GUIDANCE, COUNSELORS, ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT COME ALONG THE WAY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, THAT, THAT I HEAR IN CONVERSATION FROM THE BOARD.
AND I THINK, I THINK IT OPENED UP THE WELL WE'LL NEED MORE, MANY MORE.
AND IF WE'RE, AND IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, WE'RE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT TRANSFORMATIONAL WORK.
IN SOME CASES AND TRANSFORMATIONAL WORK.
IN SOME CASES, IT'S GOING TO BE EXPENSIVE AND TRANSFORMATIONAL WORK.
IN SOME CASES, IT MEANS, UM, CONNECTING WITH PARTNERS LIKE UVA, UH, WHO SPECIALIZE AND FOCUS IN ON TRANSFORMATIONAL WORK AND DIFFICULT DECISIONS ALONG THE WAY WITH ALL OF THAT.
BUT THAT DIFFICULT DECISION ISN'T NECESSARILY A COST, BUT THE ADDITIONAL TRANSFORMATIONAL SUPPORT AND TRANSFORMATIONAL WORK DOES HAVE A PROBLEM.
HOW DOES THE EFFICIENCY REPORT FACTOR INTO THIS? BECAUSE I WAS PRESENTED WITH THAT IN DECEMBER, AND THEN I HAVEN'T HEARD MUCH ABOUT IT.
IT'S THE, THE EFFICIENCY REPORT, UH, THAT CAME FROM FROM THE CONSULTANT SAID, UM, ESSENTIALLY 17 MORE POSITIONS, UH, FOR, UH, FOR HR.
IT INDICATED, UH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR POSITIONS, WHICH I AM DOING, AND I'M DOING THAT COST NEUTRAL, UH, A STUDENT SERVICES DIRECTOR, UH, SO ON AND SO FORTH LIKE THAT.
UM, AND THEN OTHER QUESTION, I HAVE THIS $5,000 THAT THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE BROUGHT UP AT THE COMPENSATION.
ONE POINT MS. WALTON MADE IS THAT THEY ACTUALLY CAN'T REALLY ADVERTISE THAT AS THE SALARY, BECAUSE IT HAS TO BE APPROVED SEPARATELY EVERY YEAR.
DO WE AUTOMATICALLY APPROVE THAT AS PART OF THE BUDGET? OR IS THAT A SEPARATE CONVERSATION? SORRY.
AND IT'S EVEN THERE, I GUESS IT DOESN'T STEP EXACTLY WHETHER IT'S HIM OR HE CHANGES TO THAT, BUT THERE ARE NO CHANGES TO PALLY SOMEONE'S THIS YEAR.
AND THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE LOCALITIES AND TEACHER SALARY ONLY HOLLY IS NOT SUBJECT TO RETIREMENT.
SO, AND IT DOESN'T STEP EITHER.
UM, ONE MORE QUESTION THAN A COMMENT.
IF YOU GUYS DON'T MIND WHAT I'M LOOKING AT THESE EXPENDITURES.
I THINK ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE IS THAT PEOPLE JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS.
THEY LOOK AT IT AS THEY'RE INCREASING THEIR BUDGET.
UM, THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW OUR BUDGET WORKS.
LIKE I SAID, I THINK BASICALLY 68% OF THIS INCREASE IN OUR BUDGET IS AN UNFUNDED MANDATE FROM THE STATE.
I DON'T SEE MUCH IN HERE THAT'S NEGOTIABLE.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE OPERATIONAL COSTS ARE NOT NEGOTIABLE.
THE I'M TRYING TO FIND THE PAGE SORT OF WORKING THROUGH THE STATE MANDATED FUNDS ARE UNNEGOTIABLE.
I MEAN, THERE'S 800,000 OF STAFFING ALLOCATIONS, BUT I WILL FIGHT TOOTH AND NAIL FOR THOSE GUIDANCE COUNSELORS, BECAUSE THAT IS THE NUMBER ONE COMPLAINT OF PARENTS HAVING TWO KIDS GO THROUGH THE HIGH SCHOOL.
WE'D REALLY, SO THERE'S NOT MUCH WE CAN EAT.
THERE'S NO WIGGLE ROOM HERE IN THESE BUDGETS.
AND IF WE WANT TO ADD A MILLION DOLLARS FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SECURITY FORCE, UM, I DON'T SEE THAT IN HERE.
AND THEN THE FINAL THING IS I DID CALCULATE OUT BASED ON ONE OF THE GRAPHS, AN AVERAGE INCREASE IN THE BUDGET, 10 MILLION A YEAR.
AND WE STARTED 10 YEARS AGO AT ONE 74, WHICH MEANS THIS YEAR BUDGET.
IF WE'RE FOLLOWING AVERAGE INCREASE OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, WE SHOULD BE AT TWO 70 FOR YOUR HIGH END BUDGET.
YOU KNOW, YOUR, YOUR TOP OF THE LINE WISHLIST BUDGET WOULD COME IN AT TWO 69.
[02:10:02]
SO WE WOULDN'T EVEN GET BACK UP TO WHERE WE WOULD PROJECT TO BE IF WE WERE JUST FOLLOWING OUR AVERAGE BUDGET INCREASES.SO I LIVE ON THE SOUTH END OF THE ISLAND WITH VERY FEW FAMILIES, BUT A LOT OF TAXPAYERS, RIGHT.
UM, INFLATION IS GOING THROUGH THE ROOF ON HILTON HEAD RIGHT NOW.
THEY ARE AT, I WAS JUST READING AN ARTICLE THAT SAID, HELLO, HAD A MYRTLE BEACH, ARE LEADING THE NATION IN INCREASES IN, UH, HOTEL OCCUPANCY.
PEOPLE ARE FLOCKING TO THESE PLACES.
THEY DON'T WANT TO GO TO THE CITIES.
SO I DO THINK WE NEED TO THINK, CAUSE I THINK MR
WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT MAKING A HUGE LEAP FORWARD.
THAT WILL BE MUCH LESS PALATABLE IF WE DON'T TAKE A LARGER STEP.
NOW, AM I SUMMARIZING THAT CORRECTLY? IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BUDGET.
IT'S ABOUT, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GET BACK ON MS. TREND LINE.
AND IF WE TAKE KIND OF A MINI STEP WITH THESE AND JUST COVER THE MOST NON-NEGOTIABLE PIECES OF THE BUDGET THAT COME DOWN FROM THE STATE IN A YEAR, OR MAYBE TWO, WE ARE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT HAVING TO MAKE A HUGE INCREASE JUST TO KEEP OUR HEADS ABOVE WATER.
AND ALICE WALTON POINTED OUT WE'RE IN THE BOTTOM THIRD ON TEACHER SALARIES AND WE ARE THE SECOND MOST EXPENSIVE STATE BY COST OF LIVING.
SO I THINK PEOPLE NEED TO LOOK AT IT JUST A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY RATHER THAN EXPENDITURE, SORRY, THE MOST EXPENSIVE COUNTY IN THE, I SAID YES, I DID MEAN COUNTY.
UM, LET'S SEE, MR. EARL CAMPBELL.
UM, WE, AS A BOARD ARE GOING TO HAVE TO SUPPORT THE ADMINISTRATION AND I MEAN, ALL 11 OF US EDUCATE AND SHOW, UM, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO DO? IT IS TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT THIS, MAKE THEM UNDERSTAND THAT IF WE DON'T EDUCATE YOUR CHILDREN, YOU WANT TO SPEND MONEY, KEEP THEM IN JAIL IN PRISON BECAUSE THAT'S, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT'S WHY AT ALL OF THE STUDENTS IN THIS COUNTY, BUT DAMS WILL END UP IN PRISON.
UM, VERY, WE TALK ABOUT TEACHER SALARY.
IF A TEACHER WANT TO WORK IN BUFORD AND WE DON'T WANT TO PAY THEM A DECENT SALARY, WE KNOW WHAT THEY DO BECAUSE IT WAS CALLED THE SAVANNAH CHATHAM COUNTY.
I'VE SEEN PEOPLE LEAVE HERE AND THAT'S 7,000, $5,007,000 MORE IN SAVANNAH.
THEN YOU METER, UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT FOLKS MOVE HERE BECAUSE THEY FEEL THAT THE TAXES HIGH, BUT YOU MOVE HERE.
WHY DID HE HAVE A CHILD IN THE SCHOOL OR NOT? YOU BENEFIT IF YOU HAVE AN EDUCATED COMMUNITY, NO INTERSECT, JUST BECAUSE OF HIS EDUCATION, MORE IMPORTANT OVER THERE, OR THE CITY OF BEAUTIFUL IS IT'S MORE IMPORTANT FOR THE WHOLE COUNTY.
AND I THINK SOME OF US DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT AND MAYBE THEY DO GET ADMITTED.
WE DO ON THE SENATE, BUT WE FEEL THAT, WELL, I DON'T HAVE A CHALLENGE AT SCHOOL.
I DON'T HAVE GRAND CHALLENGES.
SO WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU, WHY SHOULD THEY RAISE MY TAXES? NO.
THEY POLICE, THAT SHOULD BE ON THE BACK, NOT ON THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, YOU KNOW, THEY FUND THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT.
SO AS A BOARD, I THINK WE NEED TO 11 MONTHS, I SAID, OKAY,
AND THEN WE MOVE ON TO MR. WILLIAMS. I'VE BEEN, UH, LISTENING TO SOME OF WHAT WE SAID, WELL, WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON.
AND FIRST I'D LIKE TO START OFF BY SAYING, UM, ALEX, THANK MRS. CROSBY AND HER STAFF FOR PUTTING TOGETHER THIS REPORT.
UM, THIS IS VERY APPRECIATED AND THIS IS, UH, THIS IS, UH,
[02:15:01]
UH, A, UH, UH, A GREAT STARTING POINT.HOWEVER, UM, JUST, I JUST WANT TO GO TO A COUPLE OF COMMENTS THAT WAS MADE, UM, MR. DISTRIBUTOR STAR STATING SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY, I FELT THAT WAS VERY TRUE, UH, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, A LOT OF TIMES WE TAKE THINGS LIKE THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP AND WE GO OFF OF IT.
AND SOMETIMES I WANNA SAY, WE GO ON A TANGENT, ATTENDS YOU WITH IT, BUT THEY'RE ALSO TOGGLED WITH SOME OF US GET AMNESIA.
THAT ACHIEVEMENT GAP IS ACTUALLY IMPORTANT.
AND, AND SOMETIMES THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP IS, IS A TALKING PIECE.
AND I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT AND IMPERATIVE THAT WE PUT OUR MONEY WHERE OUR MOUTH IS.
AND SO I THINK THAT AS WE'RE GOING OVER THOSE BUDGET, I THINK WE SHOULD.
WE SHOULD WE, WE SHOULD THIS GOING INTO THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP, IT TAKES TO DEEPER DIVE TO ACTUALLY START SHOWING LINE ITEMS, HOW WE INTEND TO SPEND THE MONEY THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, THAT THAT CONCERNS THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP.
FOR INSTANCE, UH, AS AN H HIRING TUTORINGS FOR CERTAIN SCHOOLS THAT MAY NOT BE SUCCESSFUL RIGHT NOW AS AN ALLOCATING CERTAIN MONEY FOR, AS OF MAYBE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THESE DOLLARS STIPENDS, UH, FOR GIVING TEACHERS OPTIONS TO GO IN A SCHOOL THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT DOING THE BEST.
AND HAVING TEACHERS SAY, LOOK, THIS IS WHAT WE WANT.
WE NEED LONGER HOURS AFTER SCHOOL.
WE NEED AFTERSCHOOL TUTORING BEFORE SCHOOL TUTORING, DIFFERENT THINGS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE TO SHOW WHERE THE ALLOCATION OF THE MONEY WE'LL ACTUALLY GO IN AND SHOW US WHERE AND HOW WE ARE PLANNING TO IMPLEMENT THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP AND THE FUNDING AND THE FINANCES OF IT.
UH, A CASE IN POINT A MAY, MAY, MAY HAVE A, A SATURDAY SCHOOL OR, OR, OR SATURDAY CLASSES.
AND YOU HAVEN'T TEACHERS THAT COME IN IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF DIFFERENT SCHOOLS TO ACTUALLY PUT THEIR TIME IN THAT, THAT THOSE, THOSE, SOME OF THOSE THINGS ARE, ARE, ARE, ARE, ARE REQUIRED REWARDS.
AND ALSO WE HAVE TO, TO, TO THE OTHER, MR. TIM, MR. CAMPBELL'S POINTS, WE ALSO HAVE TO INCENTIVIZE TEACHERS BECAUSE A LOT OF TEACHERS, THEY GO HOME AND THEY HAVE THEIR REGULAR LIFESTYLES, TOO.
AND AS A BOARD MEMBER, AS A BOARD MEMBER, I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT THEY MAKE A SACRIFICE FOR TAKING TIME OFF FROM THEIR, FROM THEIR FAMILIES.
SO, YOU KNOW, THOSE THINGS HAVE TO BE, IT NEEDS TO BE SPELLED OUT HOW EXACTLY WE ARE PLANNING, WE'RE PLANNING ON W SO WITH THE DEBT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST A CONCERN.
THAT'S A, THAT'S A BIG CONCERN FOR ME.
UM, AND ANOTHER THING, ANOTHER THING I HEARD WAS, UM, DR.
THAT WAS, I MEAN, ABOUT THE, THE MAILERS FOR SECURITY.
I TOO WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT THAT WAS NOT IN THE BUDGET BECAUSE WHEN WE DISCUSSED THAT, THAT WAS ALREADY THERE, THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN A POLICY.
AND WE WENT, THAT WAS MUTUAL WHOLE, A WHOLE ESCAPADE ABOUT THAT.
THAT WAS A WHOLE, THAT WAS DANIELLE ON THE REFERENDUM.
THE PEOPLE SPOKE, THE BOARD MADE A DECISION.
I MEAN, THESE ARE SOME CERTAIN THINGS THAT ARE ALREADY THERE.
THEY'RE WRITTEN THE BOARD, PUT IT IN THE POLICY, THEN IT IS A SUPERINTENDENT JOB IN THE STAFF TO TAKE THAT OUT.
SO I'VE BEEN TO SOME OF THOSE THINGS WE'LL NEED TO BE AT WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE ASKED.
IT WOULD JUST NEED, NEED, NEED TO BE DONE BECAUSE THE SAME WAY WE HAVE A LEVEL OF EXPERTISE, WE HAVE A LEVEL OF EXPECTATION FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS A BOARD BE ABLE TO HAVE THE EXPECTATION FROM, FROM, FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT AND STAFF.
UM, THOSE ARE JUST A COUPLE, A COUPLE OF THOUGHTS THAT I HAVE, BUT MY MAIN CONCERN IS THAT WHEN IT COMES TO THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP, I THINK WE'LL NEED TO TAKE A DEEPER DIVE AND PROCESSING AND UNDERSTANDING EXACTLY HOW WE'RE SPENDING THESE FUNDS WHEN IT COMES TO THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP TO GET DONE AND WHAT WE WANT TO GET DONE AS A DISTRICT.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I AGREE WITH MISS BOATWRIGHT ABOUT EDUCATING THE PUBLIC, BUT LOOK, WE HAVEN'T BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL AT, AT EDUCATING THE COUNTY COUNCIL.
REMEMBER WE GO TO THEM AND TELL, ASK THEM, WE WOULD LIKE OUR MILLAGE RATE INCREASES TO BE, AND THEY ULTIMATELY DECIDE IF THEY'RE GOING TO APPROVE OUR BUDGET AND THOSE INCREASES.
SO THAT'S JUST A COMMENT THAT I, THAT I HAVE ANOTHER COMMENT THAT I HAVE IS I KNOW THAT I'M THE ISLAND OF HILTON HEAD.
[02:20:01]
PERCENT OF 6% HOMEOWNERS HAS DEFINITELY DECREASED BECAUSE DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF THOSE SECOND FAMILY HOMES SELL TO PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE PERMANENTLY.SO THAT WILL ALSO SHOW UP IN, IN OUR BUDGET.
I'M GOING TO COME BACK TO THE PEOPLE THAT ALREADY SPOKE TO THE PEOPLE WHO I'M SPEAKING FOR THE FIRST TIME CONTINUE.
SO CAN YOU GO TO SLIDE 10? SO THIS IS THE, UM, THE AVAILABLE VILLAGE WITH A LOOK BACK AND, AND I UNDERSTAND, UM, THE COAL ON THE RIGHT IS WHAT'S AVAILABLE BASED ON, LOOK BACK HERE, ONE, TWO OR THREE, CORRECT.
SO THE 4.4 IS DEFINITELY A NUMBER THAT IS FAR AND FAST.
AND SO WHERE'S THE 3.2 IS NOT A HARD, FAST NUMBER.
SO WHEN WILL THAT BE DETERMINED? I EMAILED THE, UM, DEPARTMENT OF ROUNDING FISCAL AFFAIRS.
WHO'S PRIVATE INFORMATION, AND I SAID IT WOULD BE ON MAY 6TH.
UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE HEARD, HEARD A LOT OF COMMENTS, UH, HEARD ALL THE COMMENTS FROM MY COLLEAGUES, AND I ALSO WANT TO SAY A FEW OTHER THINGS.
IT SOUNDED LIKE FROM OUR PRESENTATION, UH, FROM THE HALLIGAN AT THE LAST BOARD MEETING THAT WE REALLY DON'T NEED THE, THE COUNCIL'S QUOTE APPROVAL UNQUOTE OF OUR BUDGET.
INSTEAD, THEY JUST NEED TO QUOTE, CERTIFY IT.
I'M QUOTING THAT THEY REALLY HAVE NO BUSINESS CHANGING THE OPERATIONS.
AND I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO PUT THE FOOT TO THE PEDAL WITH THAT IN TERMS OF THIS YEAR, NOT WITH THE MONKEY, WITH THE CHANGING OUR, OUR VILLAGE, RIGHT.
IT DOESN'T REALLY LOOK LIKE THEY HAVE THE AUTHORITY UNDER LAWS TO DO THAT.
I ALSO WOULD VERY MUCH SUPPORT.
I GIVEN THE FACT, UH, IT'S BEEN BROUGHT UP, YOU KNOW, THAT WE HAD TO KEEP OUR BUDGET, UM, THE SAME BLACK THIS YEAR AND LAST YEAR, I REALLY THINK WE, WE NEED TO INCREASE OUR, OUR BUDGET.
I WOULD SUPPORT TO THE MAXIMUM.
WE HAVE HIRED A VERY EXPERIENCED, UM, QUALIFIED SUPERINTENDENT TO LEAD OUR DISTRICT.
AND I'M REALLY THINKING WE NEED TO GIVE HIM THE TOOLS OF ALLOWING HIM TO MAKE THE DECISION, TO IMPROVE OUR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND BRING OUR TEACHERS UP TO WHERE THEY SHOULD BE.
IT'S KIND OF EMBARRASSING THAT WE'RE SO LOW IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY OUR, OUR, THE TEACHERS ARE JUST COMING OUT OF SCHOOL THAT THEY'RE STARTING, YOU KNOW, AT SUCH A LOW LEVEL.
WELL, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WE SHOULD PERHAPS GET RIGHT RID OF THE ON CALORIE SUPPLEMENT AND SAID, YOU KNOW, GO UP WITH OUR TEACHER SALARIES.
SO WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT EVERY YEAR.
SO WE CAN REALLY RECRUIT PEOPLE THAT THIS IS YOUR STARTING SALARY, AND HERE IT GOES UP.
I THINK WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL AS A BOARD THAT WE DON'T KEEP IT, UM, DETERMINING, YOU KNOW, YES, THE SUPERINTENDENT NEEDS TO KNOW WHAT WE AS A BOARD COLLECTIVELY WANT.
AND IT'S VERY CLEAR WHAT WE WANT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AS A, AS PRIORITY NUMBER ONE.
AND THAT INCLUDES OF COURSE, RECRUITING AND RETAINING HIGH QUALITY TEACHERS.
I THINK WHEN WE START GETTING INTO LINE ITEMS, TELLING HIM, YOU KNOW, WE WANT THIS, UH, SPECIFICALLY YEAH, THERE'S A LINE ITEM.
AND WE WALKED THAT SPECIFICALLY AS A LINE ITEM.
I THINK THAT'S, UH, TROUBLESOME BECAUSE HE'S SOMEONE THAT'S GOING TO DECIDE.
LIKE FROM OUR CONVERSATION TODAY, AND MOST BOARD MEMBERS SUPPORT SCENARIO TWO OR THREE, IN OTHER WORDS, GOING WITH, WITH, UH, AN INCREASED MIDDLE OF THE TRAY.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM COME BACK WITH MS. CROSSFIT THE NEXT TIME WE SPEAK.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM INCORPORATE MORE OF WHAT, OF THE, UM, RECORDING OR SUGGESTIONS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED SUCH AS THE EFFICIENCY STUDY.
WELL, I THINK IT'S LIST IF YOU PUT IT 17 HR POSITION, BUT TWO OR THREE, I DON'T KNOW.
UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO PERHAPS, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE, UH, YEAH, OUR SALARY OF OUR TEACHERS WHERE IT SHOULD BE, UM, WE SHOULDN'T BE AT THE BOTTOM NOW, GRANTED WE HAVE TO USE OUR, OUR BOTH REVENUE FAR MORE THAN, AND OTHER OTHER COUNTIES DO, UH, BECAUSE SUPPOSEDLY WE HAVE THE TAX CRAVEABILITY FROM OUR PROPERTY TAXES TO DO THAT.
SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS I, I WOULD, UM, LIKE
[02:25:01]
YOU SEE, AND OF COURSE THE, THE, UH, SRO AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, ACTUALLY, WE ALREADY VOTED ON.UM, AND ESPECIALLY, UH, HOW ARE WE, HOW ARE WE GOING TO IMPROVE THE ACHIEVEMENT OF NOT JUST OUR LOWEST PERFORMING STUDENTS, BUT ALL STUDENTS OR MIDDLE PERFORMERS, UH, HARDWOOD, FLOORS, WHAT WE GOING TO DO TO IMPROVE THEIR ACHIEVEMENT? BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY WELL STATED.
I THINK BY MR. BROOKE CAMPBELL, EVERY CITIZEN IN THIS COUNTY BENEFITS FROM IMPROVED STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, WHETHER THEY HAVE CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN IN SCHOOLS OR NOT EVERY CITIZEN DOES.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE HERE, YOU KNOW, EVEN THE RESPONSIBILITY TO EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN.
AND I KNOW EVERYBODY ON THE BOARD WANTS TO EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN WELL, BUT I DON'T THINK EACH OF US, UM, HAS THE EXPERIENCE BACKGROUND EDUCATION TO PUT THE WHOLE PACKAGE TOGETHER.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE RELYING ON.
RODRIGUEZ AND HIS STAFF, UM, I THINK EVERYBODY ELSE HAS SPOKEN.
SO MR. STRIVEN, DEREK, THANK YOU.
UM, YEAH, I, I AGREE WITH SOMETHING CROSSWALK, GEIER SAID THE SUPERINTENDENT COMES TO THE BOARD AND SAYS, THESE ARE THE RESULTS YOU WANT FROM ME, AND THIS IS WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE.
AND THEN IF HE DOESN'T GET THOSE RESULTS, THEN THE NEXT SUPERINTENDENT, UM, WHO WILL COME TO US WITH THE SAME, WITH THE SAME REQUEST.
SO THAT, THAT KIND OF IS OUR, UM, OUR CHARGES.
I'M NOT OPPOSED TO TEACHER SALARY INCREASES OR ANYTHING ELSE.
I JUST DON'T WANT US TO THINK THAT THROWING A BUNCH OF MONEY AT IT IS GOING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
UM, IT'S MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT.
AND, AND THAT'S WHAT I, I JUST NEED SOME ASSURANCE THAT WE'RE NOT TAKING THE QUICK EXIT AND SAYING, WE'RE JUST GOING TO RAISE SALARIES.
I WANT TO SEE THAT WE'RE GOING TO RESELL SALARIES.
WE'RE GOING TO INCREASE THE CULTURE, WE'RE GOING TO DO ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO IT.
UM, AND NOT TAKE THAT SHORTCUT BECAUSE WE HAVE A LONG HISTORY THAT WE CAN REVIEW THAT SHOWS THROWING MONEY AT STUFF DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE ANY EFFECT, UNLESS IT'S PART OF A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
SO THAT THAT'S REALLY THE ONLY POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE.
UM, I AGREE WITH YOU, MR.
UM, SO I THINK TOGETHER THAT IS SOMETHING THAT HOPEFULLY WE WILL CONTINUE TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE THE DISTRICT A INVITING PLACE FOR TEACHERS TO WANT TO COME AND WORK.
UM, MY, MY INITIAL COMMENT IS, IS GOING BACK TO THE DISCUSSION THAT SURROUNDED THE SECURITY OFFICERS, UM, AND IT SOUNDED LIKE, AND PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, UM, THAT THE WAS DESIRING SOME DIRECTION FROM THE BOARD IN THAT REGARD.
UM, SO I'M PERFECTLY HAPPY TO MAKE A MOTION AND I'VE DRAFTED ONE TO PUT INTO THE CHAT.
I THINK I HAVE THE DIRECTION FROM THE BOARD ON THE CONVERSATION TODAY.
I DIDN'T HEAR ANYBODY OPPOSED, UH, OPPOSED THAT IN THERE, SO, OKAY.
SO THAT, THAT'S WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR, THE CONVERSATION AND THE DISCUSSION.
UM, UH, SO I, UH, I'VE HEARD THAT WHERE EVERYBODY IS ON THAT PIECE.
I JUST WANTED TO AFFIRM THAT AND IF IT REQUIRED EMOTION, I WAS READY TO MAKE IT.
UM, I WAS JUST GOING TO, WE BROUGHT THE EFFICIENCY STUDY.
ONE THING IS, I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD TRY AND PLOW 17 EXECUTIVE POSITIONS INTO THIS BUDGET, BUT I WAS A PRIVATE CITIZEN WHEN THAT STUDY WAS COMMISSIONED AND WE'D PAID FOR IT AND WE PRESENTED IT.
AND WHEN I WAS NEW TO THE BOARD, THEY'RE LIKE, HERE'S THIS EFFICIENCY STUDY.
AND HERE'S WHAT WE DO, YOU KNOW, LIKE GOING WITH A REALTOR.
I MEAN, LIKE, I DON'T WANT TO SEE MILLION DOLLAR HOUSES AND THEN THE REALTOR, YOU KNOW, AND THEN YOU GO, WELL, I COME WITH, YOU KNOW, FOR 250, WE, I MEAN, IN SOME ESSENCE, WHY ARE WE DOING THESE STUDIES IF WE HAVE NO INTENTION OF BUDGETING FOR THEM, BUT THAT'S JUST AN ASIDE.
I DON'T, I JUST THINK THAT, YEAH, I'M POINTING OUT THAT THERE'S ALL THESE THINGS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE.
THAT'S NOT EVEN IN THIS BUDGET TO BEGIN WITH THAT WE CAN'T EVEN TALK ABOUT KIND OF NOW.
UM, AND THEN AS FAR AS, UH, PE AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, I AGREE WITH MR. STROMINGER AND I THINK ALICE WALTON ACTUALLY PRESENTED TO THE BOARD AT ONE POINT THAT IT WAS LIKE THE THIRD
[02:30:01]
ISSUE WITH TEACHER RETENTION.I DON'T THINK THAT'S THE ISSUE.
MY ISSUE WITH TEACHER RETENTION IS, AND I'M GONNA TELL YOU A LITTLE STORY.
THERE'S A 16 YEAR OLD GIRL IN HILTON HEAD.
HE WAS WORKING AS A HOSTESS MAKING EIGHT 50 AN HOUR.
SOMEONE SAID, HEY, THEY'RE PAYING $2 MORE AN HOUR AT THIS OTHER RESTAURANT.
SO SHE GOES DOWN THERE, THEY HIRED HER ON THE SPOT, WENT TO RESIGN AT THE CURRENT RESTAURANT.
NOW SHE'S MAKING $3 MORE AN HOUR THAN THEY SAID, THEY'RE PAYING 15 RESTAURANT.
I'M TELLING YOU, I MEAN, I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT TYING IT TO ACHIEVE.
AND I'M WORRIED ABOUT THERE BEING ENOUGH TEACHERS FOR THE DISTRICT TO FUNCTION.
LET'S GET TO THAT LEVEL AND THEN LET'S TIE IT TO ACHIEVEMENT.
CAUSE RIGHT NOW I THINK WE HAVE A LOT OF ECONOMIC PRESSURES ON PEOPLE ON WOULD BE TEACHERS.
SO I THINK THAT'S MORE AN ISSUE FOR ME IN TERMS OF COMPENSATION.
I AGREE WITH ALL OF THINGS, BUT THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE.
SO MICROPHONE CLOSER TO YOUR MOUTH, BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS, IS TO HELP THE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT ALL DUE RESPECT TO PRESENTATION.
OUR ROLE IS TO REDIRECT IF IT COMES AND WE DON'T HONESTLY DON'T AGREE WITH, GO ON AGAIN.
SO I THINK FROM OUR DISCUSSION HERE, A LOT OF IT IS DISCUSSION.
WE SORT OF REDIRECT THAT WHAT W WHAT WE EXPECT THEN, UM, LIKE THE CHAIRPERSON, UH, GREETED DR.
AGREGIOUS AND HIS STAFF SHOULD WITNESS SOMETHING BACK WITH LITTLE BIT MORE AND LIE TO THE DIRECTION THAT WE WOULD HAVE CHARGED HIM WITH.
I DON'T SEE THIS BUDGET EMPHASIZING ANY ROLE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT THAN IT DID TWO OR THREE YEARS AGO.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I'M EXPECTING.
UM, AND JUST FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU BOARD.
I THINK THIS IS REALLY PART OF WHAT WE WERE HOPING FOR OUT OF TODAY IS THIS VERY EXACT DIALOGUE ABOUT, ABOUT THIS AT THIS VERY PRELIMINARY LEVEL.
SO WE CAN NOW GO BACK, UH, AND, UM, AND DIG INTO IT MORE.
WE'VE GOTTEN SOME ANSWERS AROUND, UH, SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE PERSONALLY HAD AROUND WHERE THE BOARD WAS ON THESE, ON SOME OF THESE ITEMS. AND I THINK WE CAN, WE'RE IN A POSITION NOW WE CAN GO BACK AND, AND THEN BRING UP, UH, LOVED IT TO MR. SMITH.
WELL, ALSO, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE THERE, THEY'RE THERE THERE'S HOUSES AND OVER A THOUSAND HOMES OR PERMITS THAT ARE BEING BUILT.
UH, ONE THING I DIDN'T WANT TO SAY IS THAT, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S TALKING ABOUT HAVING THOSE, THOSE CONVERSATIONS, WE MUST TAKE IN CONSIDERATION TOO, ABOUT, UM, THE AMOUNT OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS OR PRIVATE SECTOR SCHOOLS, UH, THAT ARE, THAT ARE, ARE COMING IN BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL.
I'M IN BUFORD COUNTY AS A WHOLE, AT THIS TIME TOO, BECAUSE, UM, YOU'RE NOT JUST TALKING TO SOMEONE, UH, OVER THE WEEKEND, THEY WERE TELLING ME ABOUT ANOTHER ENTITY POSSIBLY POPPING UP AS A PRIVATE SECTOR.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS ONE THING TO BUILD FOR EVERYONE.
THERE'S A, BUT IT'S ANOTHER THING TO BILL FOR A CERTAIN SELECT GROUP OF PEOPLE.
AND WHAT WE DON'T WANT TO DO IS WE DON'T WANT TO PUT THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE AND HAVING TO HAVE STARTED PUTTING ON A, THROWING UP ALL THESE BUILDINGS AND NOT HAVING THE BUYS TO ACTUALLY GO AND GO AND GO INTO THEM.
AND I DO UNDERSTAND THAT THAT OUR PEOPLE ARE COMING AND THAT WE ARE GROWING.
BUT I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL IN, IN THE PROCESS OF, OF HOW WE, HOW WE REACT TO OUR REACT TO IT.
AND, AND WE WANT TO GET AS MUCH AS CORRECT INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE, AND THAT I EVEN CORRECT MORE AND MORE AND MORE SO OF ACCURATE THE ACCURATE INFORMATION TO BE THE DRIVING FORCE TO A BUILDING.
THAT'S JUST, THAT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT ME PERSONALLY, BECAUSE I I'M BEING A STEWARDS OF PEOPLE'S MONEY.
I'M JUST MORE SELF-CONSCIOUS SENSE OF MOVING FORWARD AND THROWING UP, THROWING UP BUILDINGS.
AND IT'S SOMETHING I LIKE TO PUT OUT THERE TOO.
AND JUST TO ALSO COMMENT ABOUT, UH, WHEN MR.
UH, HIS COMMENT WAS, IT WAS MORE OF NOT WANTING TO PAY TEACHERS.
WE ALL WANT TO PAY TEACHERS AS, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, AND ALSO OFFER THEM BONUSES ARE OFFER THEM DIFFERENT THINGS.
BUT I THINK MORE AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, IF WE'RE SAY WE'RE GOING TO BE FOCUSED ON ACHIEVEMENT GAP,
[02:35:01]
THEN THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO BE FOCUSED ON.AND I REALLY FROM PAIRING THIS COMPETITION TODAY AND, AND THE PRIOR BOARD MEETING ON TUESDAY, I REALLY THINK THAT THIS BOARD DIDN'T TAKE A DEEP DIVE IN WHAT WE EXPECT WHEN IT COMES TO THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP AND HOW WE EXPECT IT TO BE, UH, ADDRESSED, TO GIVE FURTHER THE RATION TO THE SUPERINTENDENT AND HIS, AND HIS STAFF.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE READY AS THEY ARE.
THEY ARE PROFESSIONALS AT WHAT THEY DO, BUT ON THE, ON THE, ON THE OTHER HAND, WE ARE PROFESSIONALS AT WHAT WE DO TOO.
AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GO FOR YOUR DOCTORATE DEGREE, THEY MAY, THEY MAY TAKE A PLUMBER.
I MECHANIC A MEDICAL DOCTOR, A LAWYER, AN ENGINEER.
THEY MAY PUT ALL THESE PEOPLE IN A ROOM TO SOLVE A PROBLEM.
SO EVERYONE MAY HAVE, MAY NOT, MAY NOT BE PROFESSIONAL IN ONE, IN ONE INSTANCE, BUT WE'RE ALL PROFESSIONAL PROFESSIONALS AND CERTAIN THINGS THAT IS WHAT RAISES PUZZLE TOGETHER TEST TO UNDERSTAND, AND TO GET THINGS DONE IN THIS DISTRICT AND TO GET THINGS DONE TO BETTER OUR STUDENTS BY HIM, BY SAYING THAT MY POINT IS THIS, WE DON'T HAVE TO BE PROFESSIONAL IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS TO HELP THIS PROCESS MOVE ALONG.
SO, YOU KNOW, SURE WHY WE WANTED ME TO, THAT'D BE WIGGLY SMART TO KNOW WHAT DID, WHAT, UH, IT MAY TAKE TO MOVE THIS PART OF THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP, BUT TO COLLECTIVELY TOGETHER, WE ALL CAN HELP IN SOME WAY OF MOVING THAT TO ACHIEVEMENT GAP.
SO I HAVE ANOTHER CLIENT TO, UM, UNPACK ON SLIDE 19.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE ALREADY DISCUSSED BRIEFLY THE POLICE FEE THAT THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE DISTRICT FEELS THAT THAT'S REALLY, UM, LITTLE TAXING.
AND I JUST THINK, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, SO SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT IT.
I JUST DON'T THINK PERSONALLY, A FEW BOARD MEMBERS THOUGHT TALKING WITH A FEW COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
I DON'T KNOW THAT TO ME SEEMS LIKE THAT SHOULD BE, UH, PUT IN, YOU KNOW, IN THE HANDS OF OUR LEGAL, UH, GENERAL.
CAN YOU RESPOND TO THAT DOCTOR? YEAH, I THINK, UM, THAT WAS THE BASIS FOR OUR ARGUMENT, RIGHT.
UH, IN OUR, IN OUR APPEAL, UH, BOTH TIMES.
AND, UM, I THINK, UH, WE CAN, WE CAN CERTAINLY HAVE, UH, OUR LEGAL COUNSEL, SHE'S BEEN A PART OF THIS, UH, PROCESS ANYHOW, BUT, UM, BUT I DO THINK ULTIMATELY DOES, I THINK THERE'S AN ORDINANCE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT THAT REQUIRES, UH, THAT, THAT TAXING AND, AND, UM, I MEAN, I KNOW THE COUNTY HOUSE BUILDINGS, THEY'RE ON, I'M WONDERING IF THEY ARE PAYING A 32,000 ON THAT AS WELL.
I DON'T KNOW, BUT, BUT, UH, BUT I THINK THAT, THAT WE'RE ALREADY PAYING FOR, FOR SECURITY AND FOR A POLICE OFFICER, UH, AND SORROWS AND OUR SCHOOLS.
AND SO THIS IS, THIS IS AN ADDITIONAL B, LET ME KNOW IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND I THINK IT'S WORTHY OF A DISCUSSION WITH, UH, WITH THEM.
UM, ONE LAST THING, UM, I THINK THE TIMING OF OUR NEXT STEP.
SO IT IS SOME QUESTION I HAVE IN MIND.
UM, SO WE, UM, ARE LOOKING FOR CERTIFICATION BY MAY 18TH.
OBVIOUSLY WE NEED ANOTHER CONVERSATION WITH A LITTLE DEEPER DIVE IN, IN A DIFFERENT SCENARIO, THE S POSED TODAY.
I'M LOOKING AT WHEN WILL THAT NEXT DISCUSSION, WHEN WILL THAT BE? AND I THINK WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO NEED AT LEAST TWO WEEKS TO PILE SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE HERE.
I ACTUALLY WENT BACK AND READ MY EMAIL.
YOU ASKED ABOUT, UH, WHEN WILL WE HAVE THE DATA FROM ENGLISH CAPS? AND ACTUALLY THE RESPONSE I RECEIVED WAS THAT THE CENSUS WAS RELEASING THE DATA ON MARCH 6TH AND THAT THE REVENUES, THIS SCHOOL AFFAIRS OFFICE WOULD GET IT TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER THAT.
SO I THINK IT WILL BE POSSIBLY A COUPLE OF DAYS TURN AROUND, BUT I MAY NOT HAVE THAT FINAL NUMBER.
THE NEXT TIME I COME BACK TO YOU SO WE CAN MAKE SOME, YOU KNOW, WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THE ASSUMPTIONS AS A 7.6 MILLS THAT I MAY NOT HAVE THE FINAL NUMBER NEXT TIME, AS SOON AS I DO, LIKE, CERTAINLY JUST LOOKING FOR GUIDANCE ON TIMING OF NEXT PRESENTATION.
UM, I THINK THE WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO LOOK AT THE, AT THE CALENDAR
[02:40:01]
AND, UH, CAUSE WE HAVE SEVERAL MEETINGS COMING UP, INCLUDING IF THE TENTATIVE, UH, STATE FOR THE, UM, REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE BOARD AND THE COUNCIL HAS MADE THEIR PAIN, WHICH AGAIN, OUR BOARD MEETINGS SUPPORT THEM WITH THE NO IS WITH DR.UH, I CAN SUGGEST YOU NOT PRACTICE, CERTAINLY GET TOGETHER AND LOOK AT THE CALENDAR AND THEN, UM, WORK WITH FEED OR, OR ROBIN.
SHE CAN IDENTIFY SOME DATES FOR OPTIONS THAT ARE ABOUT TWO WEEKS.
YOU CAN GET ABOUT TWO WEEKS OUT.
SO I'LL HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO GET DOCUMENTATION TOGETHER AS WELL.
SO IS THAT GOING TO BE THE END OF OUR DISCUSSION? I WANT TO THANK YOU AND YOUR STAFF FOR LONG WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE.
RODRIGUEZ, THERE'S NO OBJECTIONS DURING THE, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT ATTENDED.