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GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO THE AUGUST WORK SESSION OF THE RICHARDSON ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
[I. CALL TO ORDER]
I AM CHRIS POTEET, BOARD PRESIDENT.MR. EAGER WILL NOT BE JOINING US TONIGHT.
HOWEVER, WE DO HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT, AND THIS MEETING IS CALLED TO ORDER AT 6:01.
[II. PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION]
MRS. MCGOWAN, DO WE HAVE ANY PERSONS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP TO ADDRESS THE BOARD TONIGHT? DURING TODAY'S MEETING, SPEAKERS MAY COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS ONLY.SPEAKERS PLEASE APPROACH THE PODIUM AT THE FRONT OF THE AUDITORIUM WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME.
THE TIMER WILL BE RESET FOR EACH SPEAKER.
IF SPEAKER EXCEEDS THE ALLOTTED OF TIME.
WE WILL STOP YOU FROM SPEAKING.
THE FIRST SPEAKER WE HAVE FOR TONIGHT IS CASSANDRA SANDERS.
NEXT SPEAKER WE HAVE IS MR. EWEN BLACKMAN.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES, PRESIDENT POTEET, SUPERINTENDENT BRANUM, ESTEEMED EMPLOYEES AND GUESTS, I RISE TO TALK ON TOMA, THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT ENABLE PUBLIC ACCESS TO AND TO INCREASE PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE OF GOVERNMENTAL DECISION MAKING.
THAT WAS THE REASON BEHIND THE LAW.
CITY OF SAN ANTONIO CASE VERSUS THE FOURTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS 820 SOUTHWEST 2D 762.765 FOR THOSE WHO ARE THOSE TYPE OF FOLKS, AND FURTHER, THE TOMA ACCORDING TO THE LAW SHOULD BE LIBERALLY CONSTRUED IN FAVOR OF OPEN GOVERNMENT, AND THAT COMES OUT OF THE CASE OF WILLIAMS VERSUS CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
551.144 A MEMBER BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF A GOVERNMENTAL BODY COMMITS AN OFFENSE IF A CLOSED MEETING IS NOT PERMITTED UNDER THE CHAPTER, AND IF THE MEMBER KNOWINGLY CALLS OR AIDS IN THE CALLING OF THE ORGANIZED CLOSED MEETING, CLOSED, OR AIDS IN CLOSING THE MEETING, OR PARTICIPATES IN THE CLOSED MEETING, WHETHER IT'S A REGULAR SPECIAL OR A CALLED MEETING.
SO YOUR DEFENSE IN THIS REGARD COULD BE THAT YOU WERE INFORMED BY THE GOVERNMENTAL BODIES ATTORNEY THAT THE MEETING IS LEGIT TO BE CLOSED, AND SO I WOULD HOPE YOU HAVE THAT IN WRITING, BECAUSE AFTER ALL OF THAT IS TO SAY, WE SHOULD NARROW DOWN THE FOCUS TO THIS MEETING AT THIS EVENING, THE TEAM OF EIGHT TRAINING THAT YOU WILL HAVE TONIGHT, WHICH WILL BE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC.
I SAY PUBLIC, AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA, BECAUSE I AM A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC AND PROBABLY ONE OF THE FEW MEMBERS, IF NOT THE ONLY MEMBER, THAT SHOWS UP TO THESE MEETINGS TO FIND OUT HOW DOES OUR BOARD MAKE DECISIONS? HOW DO YOU DELIBERATE TOGETHER? WE HAVE A RIGHT TO SEE THAT, A RIGHT TO SEE HOW DOES OUR GOVERNMENT ARRIVE AT THE DECISIONS THAT YOU ARRIVE AT? NOW, I RECOGNIZE THAT YOU'LL BE DISCUSSING SOME OF THE SUPERINTENDENT'S EVALUATION DOCUMENT, AND THAT IS A SENSITIVE ISSUE FOR SURE.
THE SLIDE DECK THAT WAS PUT UP ONLINE TO EXAMINE WHAT THE PROCESS WILL BE TONIGHT WILL BE TO LOOK AT HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH THAT DOCUMENT? NOT SPECIFICALLY ACTUALLY EVALUATING THE SUPERINTENDENT USING THAT DOCUMENT.
SO THE INFORMATION OF HOW TO RECEIVE TRAINING IN THAT SHOULD BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
I THINK MS. BRANUM HAS DONE A FANTASTIC JOB OVER THE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS.
I HAVE WORKED WITH HER MULTIPLE TIMES ON MULTIPLE ISSUES THAT ARE BOTH HEAVY AND LIGHT.
VERY LITTLE TIME FOR FOLKS THAT DON'T ENGAGE.
SO THAT'S MY WARNING BECAUSE WE HAVE ELECTIONS COMING UP AND THERE'S THREE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE ON THOSE ELECTIONS, AND I WILL BE STANDING UP IN PUBLIC TO LET FOLKS KNOW, DO WE WANT OPEN GOVERNMENT OR DO WE WANT CLOSED GOVERNMENT AND LET THE PEOPLE VOTE? LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE WE GO.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. HAVE A GOOD EVENING.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MR. BLACKMAN, AND THANK YOU FOR ANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT ARE WATCHING FOR TAKING THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD.
OUR NEXT ITEM IS AN INFORMATION ITEM PRESENTING AN UPDATE ON SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES, MS.
[III.A. Special Education Services Update]
BRANUM. THANK YOU, MR. POTEET. THANK YOU, BOARD OF TRUSTEES.AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO INVITE KATIE BARRETT TO THE TABLE.
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I KNOW SHE AND DR.GIBBONS ARE GOING TO KIND OF SHARE IN OUR UPDATE TONIGHT.
TONIGHT REALLY IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY KIND OF PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW, NOT JUST TO THE BOARD, BUT ALSO TO OUR COMMUNITY OF STUDENTS THAT WE, ONCE THEY ARE IDENTIFIED WITH NEEDING AND REQUIRING SPECIAL EDUCATION SUPPORTS HOW WE AS A DISTRICT NUMBER ONE, ARE OBLIGATED TO DO THAT, BUT NUMBER TWO, IT'S PART OF OUR MORAL IMPERATIVE TO ENSURE WE HAVE THE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES IN PLACE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THOSE STUDENTS, AND SO TONIGHT, WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE YOU THAT OVERVIEW.
IF WE WANTED TO, TO PROVIDE A PRESENTATION THAT WENT INTO THE DEPTH OF WHAT IT MEANS EVERY DAY TO EDUCATE A STUDENT WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES, WE COULD PROBABLY BE HERE TILL NEXT WEEK.
BECAUSE THE CONTINUUM AND WHAT IS REQUIRED BY LAW IS SO EXTENSIVE THAT AGAIN, IT TAKES A TEAM, AS EVIDENCED HERE TONIGHT, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DOING THAT IN A WAY THAT IS, OF COURSE, FIRST AND FOREMOST IN THE BEST INTEREST OF OUR KIDS, BUT ALSO MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS AS SET FORTH IN LAW.
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE CONTINUUM OF STUDENTS THAT WE SERVE, WE THINK ABOUT STUDENTS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED, GIFTED AND TALENTED, AND WE HAVE SOME PHENOMENAL PARENT SUPPORT GROUPS LIKE SAGE, WHO SUPPORTS BOTH STUDENTS THAT ARE ON ON BOTH ENDS OF THAT CONTINUUM, WHETHER IT'S GIFTED STUDENTS OR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES.
TONIGHT WE REALLY WILL BE ADDRESSING OUR STUDENTS THAT ARE IN NEED OF SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES, AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT A STUDENT CAN BE SPECIAL EDUCATED, HAVE SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES AND ALSO BE IDENTIFIED, GIFTED AND TALENTED, AND OFTENTIMES WE REFER TO THOSE STUDENTS AS BEING TWICE EXCEPTIONAL BECAUSE WHAT A WHAT A GIFT IT IS THAT YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, TWO DIFFERENT SETS OF ABILITIES, AND AGAIN, WE WORK EVERY DAY TO SERVE THOSE KIDS.
SO AT THIS TIME, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO KATIE AND DR.
GIBBONS WHO ARE GOING TO PROVIDE US THIS UPDATE.
I AM GOING TO ASK THE BOARD, IF YOU DON'T MIND, AND UNLESS PRESIDENT POTEET WOULD LIKE US TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, I WOULD ASK YOU TO JUST JOT YOUR QUESTIONS DOWN AS WE GO AND WE'LL TRY TO ANSWER THEM.
THERE ARE A FEW SLIDES THAT IF YOU JUST HANG ON A SLIDE, PROBABLY THE PREVIOUS SLIDE THAT SPARKED A QUESTION WILL PROBABLY BE ANSWERED OR HOPEFULLY WILL BE ANSWERED IN A FUTURE SLIDE. SO IF YOU COULD JUST HANG WITH US UNTIL WE GET TO THE END, AND THEN WE'LL BE OF COURSE, HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD.
GIBBONS, THANK YOU, MS. BRANUM AND GOOD EVENING, BOARD.
THIS IS A MAGNIFICENT GROUP OF EDUCATORS AND PROFESSIONALS THAT HAVE HAVE A TON OF EXPERIENCE AND BACKGROUND IN SPECIAL EDUCATION, SO WE ARE DEFINITELY BLESSED TO HAVE THIS TEAM THAT LEADS OUR DEPARTMENT.
AS YOU'LL SEE, WE HAVE A LOT OF KIDS AND WE HAVE A LOT OF STAFF AND THESE.
SO I'LL PASS IT OVER TO MS. BARRETT. THANK YOU, AND I'M GOING TO START BY INTRODUCING THE DREAM TEAM.
I'M GOING TO INTRODUCE MARY DUSTIN AND KATHY HODGE.
THEY ARE, IF Y'ALL WILL JUST WAVE WHEN I INTRODUCE YOU.
THEY ARE COORDINATING DIRECTORS AND THEY HAVE A HAND IN ALL THINGS SPECIAL STUDENT SERVICES.
THEY SUPPORT ALL THE WORK OF OUR DEPARTMENT.
KRISTIN BURR IS ONE OF OUR SPECIAL STUDENT SERVICES DIRECTOR.
SHE SUPPORTS OUR RESOURCE AND INCLUSION PROGRAMMING OUR TRANSITION PROGRAM.
BRYNN KLIBERT IS OUR DIRECTOR OF EVALUATION.
SHE SUPPORTS OUR EVALUATION TEAMS RELATED AND ITINERANT SERVICES.
KYLE STALEY IS HERE AND HE IS OUR DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL PROGRAMMING.
HE SUPPORTS ALL OF OUR SELF-CONTAINED CLASSROOMS AND PROGRAMS. SHANNON SUESS IS OUR DIRECTOR OF DYSLEXIA, WHICH WE'LL TALK MORE IN A BIT, BUT THAT'S NOW A BIG PART OF OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMING, AND THEN ALICIA ZORNIG IS OUR DIRECTOR OF SECTION 504, AND SHE IS NOT WITH US TONIGHT.
SECTION 504 IS NOT THE SAME THING AS SPECIAL EDUCATION.
SO I GUESS I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T ALSO SHARE WITH YOU THAT I HIT THE HIGHLIGHTS OF WHAT THESE FOLKS DIRECTLY SUPPORT, BUT ALL OF THEM DO A MILLION OTHER THINGS THAT FALL UNDER THEIR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.
BY THE END OF THIS EVENING, I EXPECT TO BRING TO YOU AN UNDERSTANDING OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
ELIGIBILITY, OUR SUPPORTS AND SERVICES, WHAT IS SPECIAL EDUCATION?
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I ALSO WANT TO LEAVE YOU WITH AN AWARENESS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION NUMBERS, TAKING A LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL, STATE AND MOST IMPORTANTLY HERE IN RISD.I ALSO WANT TO PROVIDE YOU WITH AN UNDERSTANDING OF RISD SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS, AND LEAVE YOU WITH A LITTLE CELEBRATION OF SOME THINGS THAT ARE GOING REALLY WELL IN OUR PROGRAMMING AND A GENERAL AWARENESS OF SOME OF THE PROGRAMMATIC AND FUNDING CHALLENGES THAT OUR DEPARTMENT FACES AND THAT WE ARE SEEING IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.
IT'S YOUR STUDY SESSION. SO I'M GOING TO PUT YOU TO WORK A LITTLE BIT, TRUSTEES.
I WANT TO LEAN INTO THE RISD LEARNER FRAMEWORK AND DO A LITTLE IGNITE ACTIVITY WITH YOU.
IF WE WERE IN A CLASSROOM, THERE'D PROBABLY BE SOME HANDS ON MATERIALS, A GAME, SOME KIND OF INTERACTIVE ACTIVITY, BUT I WANT TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, IF YOU DON'T MIND, AND SEE IF ANY OF THESE ACRONYMS OR BUZZWORDS STICK OUT TO YOU.
DO ANY OF YOU KNOW WHAT ANY OF THESE STAND FOR? I KNOW MS. TIMME MIGHT BE ABLE TO CARRY THE TEAM.
[LAUGHTER] YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO CARRY THE TEAM, MAYBE SEE IF ANYONE ELSE RECOGNIZES ANY OF THESE.
WHAT DO YOU GOT FOR ME? ANYBODY? ARD COMMITTEE, IS THAT SOMETHING YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH OR HEAR ABOUT? RECOGNIZE ANY OF THE OTHER ONES? ANYBODY? THESE AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, EDUCATION IS FULL OF ACRONYMS. WE THROW THEM AROUND ALL THE TIME.
I KNOW I HAVE A TENDENCY TO SLIP INTO THEM, AND I'M GOING TO TRY MY HARDEST NOT TO TONIGHT, BUT I WANTED TO HIT A FEW OF THE MOST COMMON OR SOME OF THE MOST FREQUENT THAT YOU MAY EVEN SEE TONIGHT, AND OUR COMMITTEE IS AN ADMISSION AND REVIEW DISMISSAL COMMITTEE.
AN IEP IS AN INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLAN.
THAT IS, THE STUDENT'S INDIVIDUAL EVALUATION.
SDI, THE SPECIALLY DESIGNED INSTRUCTION, LRE TALKS ABOUT THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT.
SLD IS A SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY.
SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU'LL HEAR.
AGAIN, I'M COMMITTED TO USING THE FULL LANGUAGE, BUT I MIGHT SLIP INTO ACRONYMS. SO I WANTED TO SHARE THOSE WITH YOU.
THERE'S ALSO AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION, A CHEAT SHEET AND A LINK TO A VERY EXTENSIVE GLOSSARY.
LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT IS SPECIAL EDUCATION, AND SOME OF YOU ARE WELL VERSED IN THIS.
SOME OF IT MIGHT BE NEW INFORMATION OR NEW LEARNING FOR YOU GUYS OR FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT ARE LISTENING, BUT SPECIAL EDUCATION IS SPECIALLY DESIGNED INSTRUCTION THAT'S PROVIDED AT NO COST TO A STUDENT WHO MEETS THE CRITERIA AND HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED WITH A DISABILITY.
THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES ACT IS THE LAW THAT GOVERNS THIS, AND OUTLINES OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE THAT SPECIALLY DESIGNED INSTRUCTION AT NO COST TO OUR STUDENTS AND THE IDEA OR THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OUTLINES SIX PRINCIPLES OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, AND YOU CAN SEE THOSE ON THE SCREEN AGAIN ALREADY STARTING IN ON THE ACRONYMS, BUT THAT INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM, THE IEP, FREE AND APPROPRIATE PUBLIC EDUCATION.
WE HEAR PEOPLE TALK A LOT ABOUT A STUDENT'S RIGHT TO A FAPE OR A FREE AND APPROPRIATE PUBLIC EDUCATION, THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT, SO LOOKING FOR THE LRE FOR EVERY STUDENT. THE PRINCIPLE OF AN APPROPRIATE EVALUATION HUGE COMPONENT IS PARENT AND TEACHER PARTICIPATION IN THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PROCESS, AND THEN THE PROCEDURAL SAFEGUARDS WHICH ARE A STUDENT AND PARENTS' RIGHTS RELATED TO SPECIAL EDUCATION.
SO WE'RE GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION NUMBERS AND SERVICES, AND THERE'S JUST SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS WE COULD TAKE THIS INFORMATION, BUT I WANTED TO BRING YOU SOME, SOME DATA AT THE NATIONAL, STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT SPECIAL EDUCATION NUMBERS ARE TRENDING AND LOOKING LIKE.
OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION NUMBERS AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL.
THIS IS A CHART THAT MR. PATE BROUGHT BACK FROM A TRAINING.
HE ATTENDED AND BROUGHT THIS INFORMATION, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT VISUAL THAT JUST SHOWS THAT WHILE OVERALL ENROLLMENT IS EITHER FLATLINING OR DECLINING AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL, SPED ENROLLMENT IS TRENDING UP.
SCHOOLS ARE IDENTIFYING MORE AND MORE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND SO THAT'S HAPPENING AT OUR NATIONAL LEVEL, AND THEN TEA HAS PROVIDED DATA THAT REFLECTS THE SAME HERE AT THE STATE LEVEL.
YOU CAN SEE LOOKING AT A TEN YEAR SPREAD OF OUR STATE DATA AROUND SPECIAL EDUCATION, WE'VE SEEN A 72% INCREASE IN STUDENTS IDENTIFIED WITH DISABILITIES ARE SERVED THROUGH SPECIAL EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF TEXAS OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS, AND THERE'S A LOT THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THAT, AND WE'LL TALK A LITTLE MORE LATER ABOUT DYSLEXIA BECOMING A PART OF SPECIAL EDUCATION THAT HAS AN IMPACT ON OUR NUMBERS, BUT THE STATE OF TEXAS ALSO, SOME OF YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH SOME SOME DIFFICULT TIMES THE STATE EXPERIENCED ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO WHEN A STATE CAP WAS IN PLACE, AN UNOFFICIAL CAP WAS IN PLACE THAT
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DISTRICTS WERE EXPECTED TO KEEP THOSE SPECIAL EDUCATION NUMBERS AT 8.5% OR LOWER, AND WHEN THAT CAP WAS REMOVED IN 2017, YOU CAN SEE THE TREND AS NUMBERS STARTED TO CLIMB AND MORE AND MORE STUDENTS WERE APPROPRIATELY IDENTIFIED AS STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, AND THEN IF YOU TAKE A LOOK HERE AT OUR LOCAL RISD NUMBERS, YOU CAN SEE AGAIN THAT SAME TREND LINE OR THE SAME TRENDS AS WE'RE SEEING AT THE STATE AND NATIONAL LEVEL.THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS RECEIVING SERVICES THROUGH SPECIAL EDUCATION.
LOOKING BACK FROM 2016 TO THIS LAST BAR REPRESENTS THE 23-24 SCHOOL YEAR.
SO OUR MOST RECENT SCHOOL YEAR.
THIS IS THE DATA WE PROVIDE THE STATE IN OCTOBER ON SNAPSHOT DATE AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE SEEN ABOUT A 30% INCREASE OVER THIS SPREAD OF YEARS.
SO LIKE THE STATE LIKE THE NATION, OUR NUMBERS ARE INCREASING.
SO THINKING THROUGH HOW STUDENTS QUALIFY FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION, WE HAVE A LEGAL OBLIGATION TO FIND, THROUGH AWARENESS AND INTERVENTION, STUDENTS WHO HAVE SUSPECTED DISABILITIES AND THAT PROCESS IS CALLED CHILD FIND AND OUR CHILD FIND EFFORTS ARE VERY EXTENSIVE.
WE HAVE TWO QUESTIONS EMBEDDED IN THE ONLINE ENROLLMENT PROCESS THAT ASK ABOUT CHILD FIND.
WE ASK PARENTS, DOES YOUR CHILD HAVE AN IDENTIFIED DISABILITY OR DO YOU SUSPECT A DISABILITY OR ARE YOU, IN LAYMAN'S TERMS, ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT YOUR CHILD BEING ABLE TO ACCESS THEIR LEARNING? AND IF THEY ANSWER YES TO THOSE QUESTIONS, IT TRIGGERS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO FOLLOW UP AND DETERMINE IF AN EVALUATION IS APPROPRIATE AND IF A DISABILITY EXISTS, BUT BEYOND OUR CHILD FIND QUESTIONS IN ENROLLMENT, WE ALSO WORK WITH AREA PRIVATE SCHOOLS, DOCTOR'S OFFICES, DAYCARES TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR CHILD, FIND OPPORTUNITIES, AND OUR ABILITY TO EVALUATE AND DETERMINE A NEED FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES AS YOUNG AS THE AGE OF THREE, AND ANOTHER HUGE EFFORT AROUND CHILD FIND IS OUR CONTINUED EXPANSION OF PRE-K.
WE KNOW WE'RE GETTING ACCESS TO MORE AND MORE OF OUR THREE AND FOUR YEAR-OLDS, AND WHEN THEY'RE IN OUR SCHOOLS, WE'RE ABLE TO BUILD CONNECTIONS WITH THOSE FAMILIES, HEAR ABOUT PARENT CONCERNS, AND SOMETIMES THAT'S WHAT TRIGGERS A CHILD FIND OBLIGATION.
YOU KNOW, A PARENT SAYS, I DON'T THINK MY MY CHILD IS DEVELOPING THE WAY HIS FRIENDS ARE.
WELL, THAT OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH THAT FAMILY AND FIGURE OUT IF THERE'S A CONCERN OR A SUSPICION OF A DISABILITY, OR A TEACHER OR A STAFF MEMBER WHO'S WORKING WITH THAT CHILD SUDDENLY HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SUSPECT A DISABILITY AND TRIGGER OUR CHILD FIND OBLIGATION.
SO ONCE WE SUSPECT THAT DISABILITY, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONDUCT A FULL INDIVIDUAL EVALUATION AND WE GET CONSENT FROM PARENTS TO DO SO, AND THAT TIMELINE KICKS INTO GEAR.
IT INVOLVES A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM OF EVALUATORS.
YOU CAN SEE SOME EXAMPLES OF THOSE ON THE SCREEN A DIAGNOSTICIAN, A SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST, A SCHOOL PSYCH, MEMBERS OF OUR RELATED SERVICES TEAMS THAT MIGHT BE AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST OR A PHYSICAL THERAPIST, AND THEY ARE INVOLVED IN THE EVALUATION.
THEY ARE ADMINISTERING FORMAL ASSESSMENTS.
THEY'RE CONDUCTING OBSERVATIONS.
THEY MIGHT BE GATHERING WORK SAMPLES.
A KEY COMPONENT OF THAT EVALUATION INCLUDES GATHERING INFORMATION FROM THE PARENT OR GUARDIAN.
WHAT ARE YOU SEEING AT HOME? WHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS? WHAT ARE YOU EXPERIENCING WITH YOUR CHILD AS IT RELATES TO THEIR ACCESS TO SCHOOL, AND THEN THE TEACHER'S INPUT AND THE TEACHER'S KNOWLEDGE OF THAT STUDENT IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM. SO THERE ARE MANY, MANY FACTORS THAT GO INTO THAT EVALUATION, AND ONCE THE EVALUATION IS COMPLETE, THE EVALUATORS PRESENT THAT INFORMATION TO THE ARD COMMITTEE. SO BACK TO ONE OF THOSE ACRONYMS, TO THE COMMITTEE THAT'S GATHERED, AND THE ARD COMMITTEE HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ANSWERING TWO QUESTIONS.
DOES THE CHILD HAVE A DISABILITY THAT MEETS THE IDEA OR THE STANDARDS SET FORTH FOR DISABILITY CRITERIA? AND IF SO, DOES THAT CHILD NEED SPECIALLY DESIGNED INSTRUCTION AND IF THE ANSWER IS YES TO BOTH, THE ARD COMMITTEE SEEKS CONSENT FROM MOM OR DAD OR THE GUARDIAN TO BE PLACED IN TO PLACE THE CHILD INTO SPECIAL EDUCATION, AND THEN THEY HAVE THE OBLIGATION TO DEVELOP THAT INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR THAT STUDENT, AND SO THAT'S ANOTHER POINT AT WHICH PARENTS ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THAT DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN, AND TEACHER EVALUATORS, EVERYONE'S COMING TOGETHER AND DECIDING WHAT SUPPORTS DO WE NEED TO PUT IN PLACE FOR THIS STUDENT? I WANTED TO BRING YOU A LITTLE BIT OF OUR EVALUATION NUMBERS, AND THIS IS A SMALLER SNAPSHOT OF JUST THE LAST THREE YEARS, AND THIS DATA UP HERE JUST REFLECTS OUR INITIAL EVALUATIONS.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS WE'VE HAD ALMOST 400 ADDITIONAL, OR WE'VE HAD AN INCREASE OF ALMOST 400 INITIAL EVALUATIONS. SO THAT ALSO CONTRIBUTES TO THAT INCREASE IN STUDENTS THAT ARE BEING SERVED.
RIGHT. MORE STUDENTS ARE EVALUATED.
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THAT NUMBER 1629 REFLECTS THOSE INITIAL EVALUATIONS, BUT OUR EVALUATORS ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR CONDUCTING REEVALUATIONS BY LAW.THOSE HAPPEN EVERY THREE YEARS.
SO OUR EVALUATORS ARE PICKING UP THOSE EVALUATIONS AS WELL, AND SO FOR A POINT OF REFERENCE, LAST SCHOOL YEAR THERE WAS 1629 INITIALS, BUT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF EVALUATIONS THAT OUR EVALUATORS WORKED WAS ABOUT 3700 TOTAL EVALUATIONS WHEN YOU COMBINE ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF EVALUATIONS THAT THEY WERE WORKING.
I COULD TAKE YOU THROUGH AN ENTIRE GRADUATE LEVEL COURSE ON WRITING AN IEP.
I COULD TAKE YOU THROUGH OUR TRAININGS.
IT'S DEVELOPED AND REVIEWED AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR BY THE BY THE COMMITTEE, AND THAT COMMITTEE INCLUDES IT MUST INCLUDE A PARENT OR GUARDIAN, A GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHER, A DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE, AND THEN ANY OTHER IMPORTANT MEMBER WHO MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE TEAM, AND THAT VARIES FROM CHILD TO CHILD.
WHO ELSE MIGHT BE PARTICIPATING IN THAT MEETING? AND IT MUST BE AGREED UPON BY BOTH THE PARENT OR THE GUARDIAN AND OUR DISTRICT TO BE PUT INTO PLACE FOR A STUDENT, AND SO SOME KEY COMPONENTS INCLUDE THE PRESENT LEVELS.
WE'RE LOOKING AT DEVELOPING INDIVIDUAL GOALS FOR THAT STUDENT BASED ON WHAT WE KNOW TO BE THEIR PRESENT LEVELS, DETERMINING IF THEY'RE APPROPRIATE OR NECESSARY, ACCOMMODATIONS SO THAT THEY CAN MAKE PROGRESS IN THEIR LEARNING, AND THEN WE'RE DEVELOPING A SCHEDULE OF SERVICES THAT OUTLINES WHAT SPECIAL EDUCATION SUPPORT WILL LOOK LIKE FOR THAT STUDENT, AND I TAKE YOU THROUGH A SAMPLE, AND I KNOW SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE A HARD COPY.
WE'RE COVERING THESE PRESENT LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE FOR ALL AREAS OF ACADEMICS AND FUNCTIONAL SKILLS, BUT THIS I'VE HONED IN ON READING, AND SO I WANT YOU TO SEE THAT THIS PRESENT LEVEL OR WHAT'S REPORTED IN THE INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM INCLUDES WE DRAW ATTENTION TO THE DATA SOURCES THAT WE'RE PULLING THIS INFORMATION FROM, BUT WE ARE PROVIDING THE COMMITTEE WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHILD'S STRENGTHS, THEIR AREAS OF NEED, THE NEXT TARGET SKILL, OR WHAT NEEDS TO BE WORKED ON NEXT AND THEN WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF THE DISABILITY, OR HOW IS THAT GOING TO IMPACT THE STUDENT'S PROGRESS IN THE CURRICULUM AND IN THIS PARTICULAR EXAMPLE, THIS STUDENT, JORDAN, THERE'S INFORMATION WITHIN HER PRESENT LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE ABOUT HER NEEDS RELATED TO ANNOTATING TEXT, HER ABILITY TO FOCUS, TALKS ABOUT HOW SHE BENEFITS AND NEEDS, THE USE OF VISUAL AIDS OR GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS TO ORGANIZE HER THINKING, AND THEN IT TALKS ABOUT HER NEXT SKILL OR THE NEXT SKILL TO TARGET BEING HOW TO ANNOTATE TEXT AND INCREASE HER COMPREHENSION, AND SO AS WE MOVE INTO THE NEXT COMPONENT OF THE IEP, YOU'LL SEE A GOAL THAT IS RELATED SPECIFICALLY TO WHAT THE COMMITTEE HAS JUST REVIEWED ABOUT HER PRESENT LEVELS.
SHE NEEDS TO LEARN HOW TO OR GROW IN THE AREA OF ANNOTATING TEXT.
WITH THAT GOAL IN MIND AND KNOWING HER PRESENT LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE, THE COMMITTEE IS ALSO GOING TO DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATE ACCOMMODATIONS TO PROVIDE HER SO THAT SHE CAN ACCESS HER LEARNING AND MAKE PROGRESS, AND THERE AGAIN, I WON'T READ ALL OF THEM TO YOU, BUT YOU CAN SEE THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE PIECES WE JUST DISCUSSED.
GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS FOR READING AND WRITING ASSIGNMENTS THAT ALIGNS DIRECTLY WITH THE INFORMATION THAT'S BEEN PROVIDED IN HER PRESENT LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE, AND THEN A SCHEDULE OF SERVICES GETS DEVELOPED, SHOWING WHEN AND HOW A SPECIAL EDUCATOR WILL BE A PART OF HER SUPPORT, AND IN THIS EXAMPLE, YOU CAN SEE THAT SHE WILL RECEIVE SOME INCLUSION MINUTES OR SOME SUPPORT IN THE CLASSROOM BY A SPECIAL EDUCATOR FOR 120 MINUTES PER WEEK, AND AGAIN, IF WE PULLED OUT THIS CHILD'S IEP, YOU'D SEE 30-40 PAGES.
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IT'S A LITTLE NUMERIC, AND I'LL UNPACK THAT FOR YOU.THOSE NUMBERS THAT YOU SEE, THE DOUBLE ZERO, THE 40, THE 41, THOSE ARE ALL TEAMS CODES, AND THAT'S HOW OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS ARE CODED, AND THE PEIMS NUMBERS RELATE TO OUR FUNDING, OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING, BUT THE TAKEAWAY HERE IS THAT THE FURTHER TO THE LEFT OUR STUDENTS ARE, THE LESS SPECIAL EDUCATION SUPPORT THEY NEED IN ORDER TO ACCESS AND MAKE PROGRESS AND THEN THE FURTHER YOU MOVE TOWARDS THE RIGHT SIDE OF THAT CONTINUUM, THAT IS INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF SUPPORT AND THE IMPACT OF DISABILITY THAT OUR STUDENTS EXPERIENCE, AND IN RICHARDSON ISD, ABOUT 85% OF OUR STUDENTS SIT TOWARDS THAT LEFT SIDE, EITHER RECEIVING ALL OF THEIR SUPPORT IN GENERAL EDUCATION OR GENERAL EDUCATION WITH SOME RESOURCE SUPPORT.
WE HAVE ABOUT 15% OF OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE ON THE MORE RESTRICTIVE SIDE OF THE CONTINUUM IN A SELF-CONTAINED PROGRAM, AND EVEN A FEW AT THE VERY, VERY END OF OUR CONTINUUM THAT RECEIVE THEIR SERVICES IN THEIR HOME AS A PART OF HOMEBOUND SERVICES.
THIS LIST IS JUST A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF SOME OF OUR PROGRAMMING.
I'M GOING TO DIG INTO SOME OF THESE A LITTLE BIT MORE DEEPLY, BUT WE HAVE RESOURCE AND INCLUSION SUPPORT WHICH NOW INCLUDES OUR STUDENTS IDENTIFIED WITH DYSLEXIA, SPEECH AND OTHER RELATED SERVICES.
WE HAVE TRANSITION PROGRAMMING.
WE HAVE CENTRAL PROGRAMS, HOMEBOUND.
I'M GOING TO TAKE YOU THROUGH SOME OF THESE IN MORE DEPTH.
SO WE'RE GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT RESOURCE AND INCLUSION, AND I SHARED BEFORE THIS IS WHERE THE MAJORITY OF OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE IDENTIFIED WITH A DISABILITY AND RECEIVE THEIR SUPPORTS THROUGH SPECIAL EDUCATION.
THIS IS WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE.
83% OF OUR STUDENTS ARE EITHER RECEIVING ALL OF THEIR SPECIAL EDUCATION SUPPORT IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM, OR IN A COMBINATION OF THE GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM AND THE RESOURCE ROOM.
SO INCLUSION IS 100% GEN ED CLASSROOM.
A SPECIAL EDUCATOR COMES INTO THAT ROOM AND PROVIDES SOME SUPPORT THAT COULD LOOK LIKE A GENERAL, A SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER COMING IN AND PROVIDING SOME DIRECT INSTRUCTION WHILE YOU'RE IN THE CLASSROOM.
IT COULD LOOK LIKE THE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER PARTNERING WITH THE GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHER TO ENSURE THAT THE APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTIONAL ACCOMMODATIONS ARE EMBEDDED IN THE INSTRUCTION OR THE LESSON, AND FOR OUR STUDENTS WHO NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE SUPPORT, AND THEY WILL BE PULLED OUT INTO THE RESOURCE CLASSROOM, AND THAT INSTRUCTION OCCURS IN A SPECIAL EDUCATION SETTING, AND IT'S MORE TARGETED.
OR YOU MIGHT SEE A SPECIAL EDUCATOR SCAFFOLDING THE TEKS FURTHER BACK TO MODIFY THE CURRICULUM SO THAT A STUDENT CAN MAKE PROGRESS WHEN THEY THEN RETURN TO GENERAL EDUCATION AND ACCESS THAT TIER ONE CURRICULUM, BUT AGAIN, THIS IS WHERE THE MAJORITY OF OUR STUDENTS SPEND THEIR TIME OR RECEIVE THEIR SERVICES.
YOU CAN SEE IN THAT PICTURE JUST A LITTLE BIT OF AN EXAMPLE.
IT'S KIND OF HARD TO MAKE OUT, BUT THE TEACHER OR THE PERSON SITTING IN THE BACK IS ACTUALLY AN ADULT THAT REPRESENTS OUR SPECIAL EDUCATOR WHO IS SITTING ALONGSIDE HER STUDENTS IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM, ENSURING THAT THEY ARE MAKING PROGRESS IN THE GEN ED SETTING, AND THEN WE HAVE OUR SELF-CONTAINED OR CENTRAL PROGRAMS. ABOUT 15% OF OUR STUDENTS RECEIVE THEIR INSTRUCTION IN THE CENTRAL PROGRAM OR A SELF-CONTAINED CLASSROOM, AND WE CALL THEM OUR CENTRAL PROGRAMS BECAUSE THEY ARE THEY ARE CENTRALIZED AT DIFFERENT CAMPUSES.
WE DO NOT OFFER EACH PROGRAM AT EVERY SCHOOL.
GENERALLY SPEAKING, THESE CLASSES HAVE A MUCH SMALLER STAFF TO STUDENT RATIO.
TYPICALLY, THERE'S ONE TEACHER AND TWO PARAPROFESSIONALS PER SECTION.
THERE IS NO SET CAP ON ANY OF THESE CLASSES, BUT WE DEFINITELY AIM TO KEEP THE CLASS SIZES SMALLER SO THAT WE CAN IMPLEMENT ALL OF THE COMPONENTS OF THESE STUDENTS IEPS IN THIS SETTING, AND YOU CAN SEE HERE A SAMPLE OR AN EXAMPLE OF A SELF-CONTAINED CLASSROOM WHERE A STUDENT IS GETTING ONE ON ONE INSTRUCTION BECAUSE PER HER IEP, WHEN SHE'S LEARNING A NEW SKILL, IT NEEDS TO BE TAUGHT IN THAT ONE ON ONE SETTING.
HERE'S A LIST OF SOME OF OUR CENTRAL OR SELF-CONTAINED PROGRAMS. THESE ARE PROBABLY MORE ACRONYMS THAT YOU HEAR AS YOU'RE OUT AND ABOUT IN OUR COMMUNITY OR VISITING CAMPUSES.
OUR PASS CLASSROOM, POSITIVE APPROACHES TO STUDENT SUCCESS IS A PROGRAM THAT PRIMARILY SUPPORTS STUDENTS WHOSE DISABILITY REALLY IMPACTS THEIR BEHAVIORAL NEEDS AND THEIR SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL NEEDS.
OUR SLC, THAT'S THE STRUCTURED LEARNING CLASSROOM.
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TIGHTER STRUCTURE THAN A GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM.TIER ONE INSTRUCTION THEY JUST NEEDED IN A DIFFERENT SETTING.
THEY'RE TAKING THE GENERAL STAAR.
OUR DLC, THE DEVELOPMENTAL LEARNING CLASSROOM AND OUR SDC, THE STRUCTURED DEVELOPMENTAL CLASSROOM ARE CLASSES THAT REALLY SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS WHOSE COGNITIVE DISABILITY OR COGNITIVE NEEDS IMPACT THEIR LEARNING, AND THEY NEED A MUCH HIGHER LEVEL OF MODIFICATION.
THEY NEED THINGS BROKEN DOWN VERY DIFFERENTLY.
THEY PARTICIPATE IN AN ALTERNATIVE CURRICULUM OR AN ALTERNATIVE STATE TESTING PLAN.
THEY TYPICALLY HAVE MAYBE 4 OR 5 STUDENTS IN A TLC CLASSROOM WITH THE THREE ADULTS, AND THEY ARE NEEDING A HIGH LEVEL OF SUPPORT AS THEY ARE WORKING TO DEVELOP COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND WORK THROUGH AN ALTERNATIVE CURRICULUM.
OFTENTIMES, THAT'S WHERE YOU MIGHT SEE A STUDENT WHO HAS A THAT HAS A MEDICAL FRAGILITY AND THEY NEED THEY MIGHT EVEN HAVE A PRIVATE DUTY NURSE THAT JOINS THEM AT SCHOOL, OR A TUBE FEEDING SCHEDULE THAT REQUIRES THE SUPPORT OF OUR NURSING STAFF, AND THEY NEED TO BE IN A VERY SMALL RATIO CLASS FOR THEIR SAFETY AND TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO ACCESS THEIR LEARNING AND MAKE PROGRESS TOWARDS THEIR INDIVIDUAL GOALS, AND THEN ECSE, SOME OF YOU WHO'VE BEEN AROUND A WHILE MIGHT EVEN REMEMBER IT AS PPCD, BUT THOSE ARE OUR LITTLEST LEARNERS.
THOSE ARE OUR THREE AND FOUR YEAR-OLDS THAT NEED TO BE PROVIDED THEIR LEARNING IN A SELF-CONTAINED SETTING, AND AGAIN, THERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF WHERE YOU CAN YOU CAN JUST BARELY MAKE OUT, BUT IN THE BACK THERE'S THE TEACHER WHO IS PROVIDING THAT ONE ON ONE TEACHING THAT NEW SKILL, THAT NEW SKILL DEVELOPMENT FOR THAT ONE INDIVIDUAL STUDENT, AND THEN YOU SEE PARAPROFESSIONALS WORKING WITH STUDENTS IN A LARGER GROUP WITHIN A SELF-CONTAINED CLASSROOM.
OTHER PROGRAMS AND SERVICES, AND I HAVE TO START BY SAYING THIS IS NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST, AND I SOMEONE FROM MY TEAM IS GOING TO BE LISTENING AND THINK I LEFT OUT THE IMPORTANT WORK THAT THEY DO, BUT WE HAVE SO MANY OTHER SERVICES THAT ARE INCLUDED IN A STUDENT'S INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PROGRAM, OR THAT WE PROVIDE FOR STUDENTS RELATED TO THEIR DISABILITY, AND SOME OF THOSE ARE RELATED AND ITINERANT SERVICES, OUR THERAPISTS, OUR THERAPIES THAT ARE PROVIDED FOR STUDENTS, OUR IN-HOME PARENT TRAINER WHO WORKS WITH OUR FAMILIES TO ENSURE THAT SKILLS LEARNED AT SCHOOL ARE TRANSFERRED INTO THE HOME AND VICE VERSA.
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY, ADAPTIVE PE, ORIENTATION AND MOBILITY.
I COULD SPEND FOREVER UNPACKING ALL OF THOSE, AND WE DON'T HAVE THAT TIME THIS EVENING, BUT IT TAKES IT TAKES A LOT OF DIFFERENT EXPERTS TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES THAT GET DEVELOPED AND OUTLINED IN THESE IEPS FOR OUR STUDENTS.
OUR SPEECH LANGUAGE THERAPY PROGRAM.
I SHARED BEFORE ABOUT OUR HOMEBOUND SERVICES.
SO THESE ARE OUR STORIES THAT JUST BREAK YOUR HEART.
THESE ARE OUR STUDENTS WHO MIGHT BE BATTLING A TERRIBLE ILLNESS OR A TERMINAL ILLNESS, AND THEY'RE BOUND TO THEIR HOME BY THEIR DOCTOR'S ORDERS FOR THEIR SAFETY AND FOR THEIR MEDICAL NEEDS.
THIS ALSO INCLUDES HOSPITAL SERVICES, AND I'VE SHARED WITH YOU IN RECENT BOARD UPDATES ABOUT THE NEW HOSPITAL HERE IN THE RICHARDSON AREA THAT WE ARE SUPPORTING A CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL. THOSE STUDENTS ALSO RECEIVE THOSE HOMEBOUND OR HOSPITAL SERVICES.
SO AGAIN, A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF OUR STUDENTS, BUT A VERY, VERY HIGH NEED A VERY, VERY INDIVIDUALIZED SUPPORT FOR THOSE STUDENTS AND THEN OUR TRANSITION PROGRAM, YOU'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT OUR TRANSITION PROGRAM SUPPORTS OUR STUDENTS AGES 18 THROUGH 21, OR UNTIL 22, AS THE LAW READS, AND THESE ARE STUDENTS THAT HAVE FINISHED THE REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION, BUT THEY STILL NEED SUPPORT IN ORDER TO REACH THE GOALS WITHIN THEIR IEP, AND SO WE CONTINUE SERVICES FOR THEM AND HAVE A WIDE RANGE OF WAYS IN WHICH WE SUPPORT OUR TRANSITION PROGRAM OR OUR "18 PLUSERS," AS WE SOMETIMES CALL THEM.
SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING IS ITS OWN ANIMAL ON THIS PRESENTATION, BECAUSE IT STANDS ALONE AS A MAJOR CHALLENGE AND A MAJOR HURDLE TO THE WORK WE DO, AND I'VE ASKED MR. PATE TO BRING YOU A BRIEF UPDATE ABOUT OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING AND THE GAPS THAT WE EXPERIENCE.
THANK YOU KATIE. SO TRY TO SIMPLIFY THIS AND WE'LL IF YOU'LL LOOK ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, THE 22-23 COLUMN THERE, I'VE BROKEN OUT THE REVENUE AND EXPENDITURES THAT WE RECEIVE FOR RECEIVE AND SPEND FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES, AND THE DARK BLUE
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PART OF THE COLUMN ON REVENUE IS THE REVENUE WE RECEIVE IN THE GENERAL FUND.IT'S MADE UP OF STATE DOLLARS AND LOCAL PROPERTY TAX DOLLARS, AND IT'S DEFINED BY TEA FOR US.
SO IF YOU REMEMBER BACK TO THE SLIDE THAT KATIE SHOWED YOU ON THE CONTINUUM OF SERVICES AND THE PEIMS CODES, WELL, THAT IN SOME CASES IT'S THE STUDENTS' AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE, AND IN OTHER CASES, IT'S THE NUMBER OF FTES OF STUDENTS WE SERVE IN THOSE INSTRUCTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS THAT GENERATES THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF STATE FUNDING THAT TEA SAYS THAT WE RECEIVE FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION AND THEN DEPENDING ON A DISTRICT'S PROPERTY WEALTH, PART OF THAT COMES FROM TAX DOLLARS.
PART OF THAT COMES FROM TEA, BUT THAT IS STILL THE TOTAL DOLLARS THAT TEA SAYS WE HAVE.
SO THAT IS THAT BLUE COLUMN ON THE REVENUE SIDE AND THAT GOES INTO THE GENERAL FUND, THE LIGHT BLUE PART OF THAT COLUMN, THAT IS THE FEDERAL FUNDING THAT WE RECEIVE FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES, AND THAT COMES TO US FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
IT'S A GRANT THAT WE RECEIVE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION UNDER EXCUSE ME IDAE, INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT, AND THAT IS A IT'S AN ENTITLEMENT GRANT.
IT'S NOT A COMPETITIVE GRANT THAT WE APPLY FOR EACH YEAR.
SO DEPENDING ON, YOU KNOW, THE FUNDING PARAMETERS SET BY CONGRESS, THEY FLOW THAT MONEY TO US BASED ON THE POPULATION OF STUDENTS WE SERVE. WE GET WE STILL HAVE WE SUBMIT A GRANT APPLICATION, BUT IT IS MORE OF A BUDGET AND WE GET THAT EVERY YEAR, AND SO THE AND IT IS A REIMBURSEMENT BASIS GRANT.
SO THE LIGHT BLUE COLUMN A PART OF EACH COLUMN, THOSE ARE EQUAL BECAUSE WE SPEND THE MONEY FIRST AND THEN WE MAKE APPLICATION TO BE REIMBURSED FOR THAT.
YOU CAN SEE THAT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY WE RECEIVE IN THE GENERAL FUND, THE BLUE COLUMN THERE ON THE REVENUE SIDE IS SUBSTANTIALLY SHORTER THAN THE BLUE COLUMN ON THE EXPENDITURE SIDE.
THAT BLUE COLUMN ON THE EXPENDITURE SIDE, THAT REPRESENTS ALL OF THE STAFF AND MATERIALS, SUPPLIES AND EVERYTHING TO PROVIDE ALL OF THE SERVICES THAT KATIE HAS BEEN DESCRIBING SO FAR.
THE BLACK DIAGONAL LINE PORTION OF THE COLUMN ON THE REVENUE SIDE, THAT REPRESENTS THE SHORTFALL IN FUNDING, THE GAP IN FUNDING THAT WE.
SO AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT WITH STATE FUNDING OR OUR BUDGET BEFORE, WE GET FUNDING FOR A VARIETY OF A VARIETY OF PURPOSES, WE HAVE THE, YOU KNOW, JUST THE GENERAL FUNDING FOR STUDENTS SHOWING UP.
THEN WE RECEIVE FUNDING FOR ALL KINDS OF SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES OF STUDENTS, AND SO TEA SAYS THAT WE HAVE TO SPEND 55% OF THE MONEY THEY GIVE US IN A PARTICULAR AREA ON THAT PARTICULAR AREA.
SO 55% OF THE MONEY WE RECEIVE FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION HAS TO BE SPENT ON SPECIAL EDUCATION.
WE PASSED THAT WITH FLYING COLORS BECAUSE WE'RE SPENDING SUBSTANTIALLY MORE THAN THEY GIVE US, BUT WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT 55, THAT OTHER 45% IN ALL THE OTHER FUNDING AREAS, WE HAVE TO SUPPLEMENT THE SPED SIDE, AND SO THAT IS MONEY THAT WE COULD BE SPENDING IN OTHER AREAS THAT WE HAVE TO SPEND ON SPECIAL EDUCATION, AND SO THAT SHORTFALL, IT'S NOT IT DOESN'T MEAN WE'RE NOT PROVIDING SERVICES TO OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS, BUT IT'S MONEY WE CAN'T SPEND ON OTHER THINGS.
THEN BECAUSE WE RECEIVE GRANT FUNDS, WE HAVE AN ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE AS A SCHOOL DISTRICT RECEIVING OF THE IDAE FUNDING, AND THAT IS BECAUSE WE RECEIVE THAT WE HAVE A MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT REQUIREMENT, AND SO WE CANNOT REDUCE OUR EXPENDITURES ON SPECIAL EDUCATION YEAR OVER YEAR, ASSUMING WE HAVE THE SAME NUMBER OF KIDS, WE CAN'T DECREASE OUR SPENDING ON THOSE KIDS.
EVEN IF KATIE AND HER TEAM WERE TO FIND A MORE COST EFFECTIVE MANNER OF SERVING THESE STUDENTS, WE STILL CAN'T REDUCE IT AND WE WILL GET IN TROUBLE WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IF WE TRY TO DO THAT.
THERE ARE SOME VERY LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES THAT ALLOW US TO REDUCE IT.
FOR INSTANCE, IF WE SUDDENLY NO LONGER HAD HOMEBOUND STUDENTS, THAT WOULD BE A JUSTIFICATION FOR SOME REDUCTION BECAUSE THOSE ARE SUCH HIGH NEEDS OR HIGH COST STUDENTS, BUT IT'S YEAH, A LOT OF REGULATIONS AND RULES ON THE FINANCE SIDE OF DEALING WITH THIS ALSO.
DESPITE THOSE FINANCIAL CHALLENGES AND GAPS IN FUNDING, WE REALLY DO HAVE A LOT TO CELEBRATE, AND AGAIN, I FEEL LIKE THIS IS IT COULD BE ITS OWN PRESENTATION TO YOU TRUSTEES, JUST BRINGING TO YOU SOME OF THE GREAT WORK THAT OUR TEAM DOES, AND I'M NOT GOING TO DO THAT TO YOU, BUT I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF OUR
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CELEBRATIONS, WHICH WILL ALSO DRAW SOME ATTENTION TO THE AREAS OF FOCUS OF OUR DEPARTMENT.SOME CELEBRATIONS AND SUCCESSES THAT WE HAVE BEEN FOCUSED ON LATELY INCLUDE OUR SUMMER EVALUATIONS.
WE HAD OUR BIGGEST SUMMER YET IN PROVIDING EVALUATIONS OVER THE SUMMER TO STUDENTS WHO AGAIN, BACK TO THAT CHILD, FIND CONVERSATION WHERE THERE WAS A SUSPECTED DISABILITY, OR PARENTS WHO GAVE US INFORMATION DURING THEIR PRE ENROLLMENT IN APRIL OR MAY INDICATED THAT YES, MY CHILD'S DOCTOR SAYS THAT HE HAS AUTISM.
WE WANT TO EVALUATE AND DETERMINE IF THAT MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES.
LET US HAVE YOUR STUDENT FOR A LITTLE BIT OVER THE SUMMER, AND WE'RE GOING TO EVALUATE, AND WE HAVE A PHENOMENAL TEAM THAT WORKED SO HARD THIS SUMMER, AND WE COMPLETED 120 STUDENT EVALUATIONS DURING THE SUMMER, AND FOR MANY OF THOSE STUDENTS, THAT MEANT SERVICES IN PLACE FOR DAY ONE, AND THAT HELPS THEM TRANSITION INTO SCHOOL OR INTO OUR DISTRICT WITH THE RESOURCES AND SUPPORTS THAT THEY NEED, WHICH CONTRIBUTES TO A SMOOTH START TO THE SCHOOL YEAR FOR THOSE STUDENTS AND FOR THEIR PEERS AND FOR THE CAMPUSES. I WOULD JUST SAY THAT IT'S A SIGNIFICANT RETENTION TOOL, EVEN FOR OUR GEN ED TEACHERS BECAUSE IF A STUDENT AND I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW WE HAVE STUDENTS THAT ENROLLED AND MAYBE DID NOT INDICATE THAT THEIR CHILD MAY HAVE A NEED, AND AS WE'RE GETTING INTO THE SECOND, THIRD, FIFTH DAY OF SCHOOL, THEY ARE PRESENTING BEHAVIORS AND THAT INDICATE THAT THERE IS A POTENTIAL NEED FOR SERVICE AND OUR GEN ED TEACHERS ARE DOING THE BEST THAT THEY CAN TO ADAPT AND MEET THE NEEDS OF THAT STUDENT WHILE WE'RE UNDERGOING THAT IDENTIFICATION PROCESS.
SO TO KNOW THAT IF A STUDENT NEEDS A MORE CENTRAL PROGRAM OR NEEDS MORE SPECIALIZED SERVICES, AND THAT CAN BE MET ON DAY ONE, VERSUS A TEACHER TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING THAT IS IN THAT, YOU KNOW, HIS OR HER POWER TO MEET THAT STUDENT'S NEED WHILE THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THE EVALUATION.
IT REALLY IS A SIGNIFICANT RETENTION STRATEGY.
SO HUGE, HUGE KUDOS TO THE TEAM FOR THAT.
WE ALSO WE HAVE BEEN BLASTING THIS EVERYWHERE.
SO I HOPE TRUSTEES, YOU'VE HEARD THIS IN OUR COMMUNITY KNOWS THAT OUR DYSLEXIA TRAINING CENTER IS FULLY ACCREDITED, AND I HAVE TO READ THE ENTIRE NAME SO I DON'T GO TO ACRONYM BY THE INTERNATIONAL MULTISENSORY STRUCTURED LANGUAGE EDUCATION COUNCIL OR THE IMSLEC AND THE INTERNATIONAL DYSLEXIA ASSOCIATION.
WE DON'T HAVE TO SEND OUR STAFF TO SCOTTISH RITE FOR THEIR TRAINING.
SO IT'S A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT AND A HUGE CELEBRATION FOR OUR DYSLEXIA TEAM.
IT WAS A FIVE YEAR. YEAH, I HEARD Y'ALL SAYING THAT DOWN THERE.
IT WAS A FIVE YEAR JOURNEY TO GET TO THIS POINT.
WE DEVOTED MUCH OF THAT TIME TO CLASSROOM PREP MATERIALS PREP, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE TEACHERS TO REALLY CONNECT WITH THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR STUDENTS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU ARE WORKING WITH A STUDENT WHO HAS SOME REALLY SIGNIFICANT HIGH NEEDS, IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK TO JUST HAVE A FIVE MINUTE CONVERSATION AT BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT TO ENSURE THAT THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL GOES SMOOTHLY.
THOSE INDIVIDUAL CONVERSATIONS, THOSE INDIVIDUAL CONNECTIONS, NEEDED TO HAPPEN.
SO WE PROTECTED SOME OF THAT TIME FOR JUST THAT CASE MANAGEMENT WORK, AND WE ALSO PROVIDED SOME VERY SPECIFIC PROGRAM TRAINING, AND WE PROVIDED OUR TEACHERS AND STAFF WITH THEIR CRISIS PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION TRAINING, AND WE GOT A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM OUR TEACHERS AND STAFF THAT THEY REALLY APPRECIATED BEING ABLE TO COMPLETE THAT TRAINING WHILE ON DUTY, RATHER THAN ON A SATURDAY OR AN EVENING AND GOING INTO THE SCHOOL YEAR ALREADY TRAINED AND ALREADY REFRESHED ON THOSE THOSE THINGS WAS REALLY IMPORTANT.
SO WE THANK YOU FOR THAT AND WE CELEBRATE THAT FOR OUR TEAM.
WE CELEBRATE OUR INCREASED GRADUATION RATE.
SO THE WORK BEING DONE, OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION TEAM, KRISTIN AND HER TEAM BEING AT THE TABLE FOR THOSE GRAD TEAM MEETINGS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL, REALLY LOOKING AT EVERY STUDENT AT AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL, WHAT KNOWING THEM BY NAME AND NEED AND FIGURING OUT WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO GET EVERY KID THAT WE CAN ACROSS THE STAGE AND REACHING THEIR GROWTH GOALS.
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WITH GRANT FUNDING, WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES.IF YOU LIVE DOWN IN LAKE HIGHLANDS, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO DRIVE NORTH OF 635 OR VICE VERSA TO PARTICIPATE IN THOSE TRAININGS, AND THE BIGGEST PIECE OF FEEDBACK WE GOT THAT REALLY ENHANCED THESE TRAININGS WAS OFFERING FREE CHILDCARE.
OUR TEAM WAS PROVIDING CHILDCARE AND MEANINGFUL CHILDCARE FOR THEIR STUDENTS.
WE WERE ABLE TO BRING IN STAAR CURRICULUM TRAINERS WHO COULD REALLY SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS AND COACH THEM, AND WE PROVIDED SOME RESOURCES AND CLASSROOM MATERIALS THROUGH THOSE FUNDS. SO WE CELEBRATE THAT AND KNOW THAT THOSE THINGS WILL HAVE A LASTING IMPACT ON OUR TEACHERS WHO SUPPORT STUDENTS WITH AUTISM, AND THEN WE CELEBRATE OUR TRANSITION PROGRAM AND THE INTERNSHIP PARTNERSHIPS WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
ONE COMPONENT OF THE TRANSITION PROGRAM IS STUDENTS WHO ARE OUT IN COMMUNITY BASED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, INTERNSHIPS, AND WE HAVE WORKED WITH TEXAS HEALTH RESOURCES IN THE RENAISSANCE HOTEL FOR MANY YEARS.
I THINK SOME OF YOU TRUSTEES HAVE HEARD ABOUT OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH TEXAS HEALTH RESOURCES.
THEY'VE RECENTLY RECEIVED AN AWARD FOR THEIR WORK THAT THEY DO WITH OUR STUDENTS AND WITH STUDENTS IN THE PROJECT SEARCH PROGRAM, BUT WE CELEBRATE TWO NEW PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE'RE KICKING OFF THIS YEAR.
THE CITY OF RICHARDSON IS JOINING US IN THE PROJECT SEARCH.
SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE STUDENTS INTERNING WITH THE CITY OF RICHARDSON, WHICH IS PRETTY EXCITING, AND THEN OUR OWN RISD PRINT SHOP, WE WILL HAVE STUDENTS RUNNING SOME COMPONENTS OF THE PRINT SHOP AS A PART OF THEIR INTERNSHIP, AND IT'S SUCH A GREAT IN-HOUSE PARTNERSHIP TO SEE OUR STUDENTS WORKING WITH OUR EMPLOYEES THAT AREN'T DIRECTLY CONNECTED WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION, TEACHING, TRAINING, MODELING FOR OUR STUDENTS AS WORK READY SKILLS.
A BIG ONE HAS ALREADY IS ALREADY WELL IN THE IN THE WORKS.
WE ARE COMMITTED TO CONTINUING TO SUPPORT IMPACTS FROM PROJECT RIGHTSIZE.
SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT THAT'S A LOT, RIGHT? THE STUDENTS MOVED, THE STAFF MOVED.
SOME OF THEM HAD BEEN A PART OF THE SCHOOL THAT THEY LEFT FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
THIS COMMUNITIES ARE TIGHT KNIT.
SO THERE ARE A LOT OF FEELINGS AND A LOT OF NEED FOR SUPPORT IN GETTING FOLKS READY FOR THEIR NEW PLACEMENT, AND THEN WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THOSE TEAMS AND WITH THE CAMPUSES TO PROVIDE STAFF TRAINING AND SUPPORT AS THEY WELCOME THEIR NEW PROGRAMMING OR THEIR NEW TEAMS. WE ALSO HAD A SPECIAL EDUCATION RESOURCE, TEACHERS IN PARIS THAT WERE IMPACTED BY PROJECT RIGHTSIZE AND FOUND NEW HOMES THROUGH THE PROJECT RIGHTSIZE CHANGES, AND SO WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THEM AS THEY SETTLE INTO THEIR NEW SCHOOL HOMES AND THEN WE AS A TEAM, ANTICIPATE MOVING ABOUT 190 CENTRAL STAFF MEMBERS FROM THE PDC TO GREENWOOD HILLS THIS FALL.
SO AT SOME POINT THAT WILL BE HAPPENING.
DYSLEXIA HANDBOOK UPDATES AGAIN, THIS IS NOT BRAND NEW INFORMATION.
HOUSE BILL 3928 WAS IMPLEMENTED AT THE START OF LAST SCHOOL YEAR, AND WE BEGAN WORK ON THAT IMMEDIATELY AS THAT WAS ROLLED OUT, BUT SOME BIG TAKEAWAYS FROM THE DYSLEXIA HANDBOOK UPDATES INCLUDE THAT THE IDENTIFICATION OF DYSLEXIA IS NOW DETERMINED THROUGH A FULL INDIVIDUAL EVALUATION, OR A FULL INDIVIDUAL, AN INITIAL EVALUATION.
SO WE RUN ALL OF THOSE EVALUATIONS THROUGH SPECIAL EDUCATION.
SO AGAIN IT KIND OF GOES BACK TO THAT IMPACT ON THE EVALUATORS.
WE'RE SEEING MORE EVALUATIONS BECAUSE THEY'RE RUNNING THROUGH SPECIAL EDUCATION FOR CONSIDERATION OF A DYSLEXIA ELIGIBILITY, AND IT'S ALSO IMPACTING STUDENTS WHO ARE PLACED IN SPECIAL EDUCATION WHEN THEY MEET THAT CRITERIA.
PREVIOUSLY, IT WAS NOT CONSIDERED A SPECIAL EDUCATION SETTING IN SOME CASES AND NOW IF A STUDENT IS RECEIVING DYSLEXIA INTERVENTION, IT IS CONSIDERED A SPECIALLY DESIGNED INSTRUCTION, AND WE PROVIDE THOSE SUPPORTS THROUGH AN IEP AND THROUGH SPECIAL EDUCATION. TEA GAVE DISTRICTS UNTIL THE END OF THIS CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR, THE 24-25 YEAR TO MOVE ANY STUDENTS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY UNDER SECTION 504 INTO SPECIAL EDUCATION.
WE'RE ON TRACK TO MEET THAT TARGET BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, AND AGAIN, I CAN'T OVEREMPHASIZE THAT THIS CHANGE IS CONTRIBUTING TO AN INCREASE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION NUMBERS AND AN INCREASE IN OUR EVALUATIONS, INCREASE IN THE CASE MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES FOR OUR SPECIAL EDUCATORS AND OUR DYSLEXIA THERAPISTS.
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SO ALL THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF GREAT SYSTEMS IN PLACE, A LOT OF TRAINING THAT'S BEING PROVIDED TO OUR STAFF, BUT IT IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING WE'LL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON DURING THIS SCHOOL YEAR.STAFFING CHALLENGES NOT A SURPRISE.
HISTORICALLY, SPECIAL EDUCATION POSITIONS HAVE BEEN A CHALLENGE TO FILL, AND THAT'S NOT NEW FOR OUR DISTRICT OR ANY OTHER DISTRICT IN THE STATE OR NATION, BUT WE CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE VACANCIES IN OUR RESOURCE AND CENTRAL TEACHER POSITIONS.
AS OF MY LAST CHECK ON TUESDAY OF THIS WEEK, WE HAD NINE TEACHER POSITIONS THAT ARE STILL VACANT, AND WE CONTINUE TO HAVE VACANCIES IN THOSE CENTRAL PROGRAM PARAPROFESSIONAL POSITIONS, AND AGAIN, AT MY LAST CHECK IT WAS ABOUT 16 PARAPROFESSIONAL POSITIONS.
SO A SUB MIGHT BE IN THERE OR SOME OTHER STAFF MEMBERS AT THE CAMPUS SUPPORTING.
WE HAVE PLANS IN PLACE TO ENSURE OUR KIDS NEEDS ARE BEING MET, BUT IT IS A VACANCY THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING AND WORKING THROUGH, AND THEN HISTORICALLY, YEAR AFTER YEAR, WE EXPERIENCED VACANCIES IN OUR EVALUATION STAFF POSITIONS.
WE FILL THOSE WITH CONTRACTORS, AND YOU GUYS SEE THOSE CONTRACTS COME THROUGH FOR APPROVAL, BUT WE COMPETE FOR THOSE POSITIONS WITH A LOT OF AREA DISTRICTS, AND UNLIKE SOME OF OUR TEACHING AND PARAPROFESSIONAL POSITIONS, OUR EVALUATION STAFF, WE ARE ALSO COMPETING WITH INDUSTRIES OUTSIDE OF EDUCATION.
RIGHT? SO WE COMPETE WITH THOSE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ROLES THAT THESE EVALUATION STAFF POSITIONS OR EXPERTS CAN HOLD, AND SO THAT CONTINUES TO BE A CHALLENGE THAT WE WORK THROUGH EVERY YEAR, AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE OUR WORK, AND WE COLLABORATE CLOSELY WITH OUR FRIENDS IN HR SPECIFIC TARGETED JOB FAIRS, RECRUITMENT EFFORTS. OUR HR TEAM WORKS PATHWAYS TO TRY AND HELP GET OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS WHO ARE REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT THE WORK THEY DO.
THEY'RE REALLY SKILLED AT WHAT THEY DO IN SUPPORTING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.
WE'RE WORKING PATHWAYS TO GET THEM TO A POSITION OF BEING CERTIFIED SO THEY CAN BECOME THE TEACHER OF RECORD THEMSELVES, AND WE CAN GROW THEM AS OUR OWN HERE IN RICHARDSON, WHICH IS A GREAT THING, AND OUR HR DEPARTMENT HAS COMPETITIVE STIPENDS FOR OUR TEACHER AND PARAPROFESSIONAL POSITIONS RELATED TO SPECIAL EDUCATION.
SO WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO ENSURE THAT DESPITE THESE STAFFING CHALLENGES, OUR CHILDREN'S NEEDS ARE STILL BEING MET AND OUR STUDENT SERVICES ARE STILL BEING PROVIDED AND I'M CONFIDENT THAT IS HAPPENING.
COMPLIANCE IS GOING TO BE ANOTHER HUGE FOCUS FOR US IN THE 24-25 SCHOOL YEAR.
WE CONDUCTED AN INTERNAL AUDIT LAST SCHOOL YEAR OF ABOUT 280 RISD IEPS FROM ACROSS THE DISTRICT.
WE TOUCHED EVERY CAMPUS, AND WE FOUND THAT, GENERALLY SPEAKING, OUR IEPS WERE IN A BIT OF AN EMERGENT STATE, AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS INFORMATION WAS THERE, BUT THERE'S ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT IN TERMS OF ITS CLARITY AND THE DEPTH OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE PROVIDE IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE IEP, AND FROM THAT, WE ARE HONING IN ON THE AREA OF PROGRESS MONITORING FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS.
YOU DON'T SPEAK OUR ACRONYMS. THAT PERCENTAGE MIGHT NOT MEAN A LOT TO YOU.
WE'RE COLLECTING DATA RELATED TO A STUDENT'S GOALS.
WE'RE REPORTING THAT OUT, AND IF THE DATA TELLS US THERE'S A NEED TO ADJUST WE'RE GOING TO ADJUST, AND SO WE HAVE INCLUDED THAT IN OUR DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT PLAN AS A STRATEGY, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE MONITORING OURSELVES AND MONITORING OUR TEAM TO ENSURE THAT WE HIT 100% COMPLIANCE AROUND PROGRESS MONITORING, AND WHILE HITTING THAT COMPLIANCE, WE ARE ALSO IMPROVING THE QUALITY.
THAT INCLUDES A LOT OF TRAINING FOR OUR STAFF.
WE HAD ADMINISTRATOR SUMMER TRAININGS WHERE WE BROUGHT THEM SOME OF THIS INFORMATION.
WE HAVE IEP QUALITY INDICATORS.
WE HAVE A RUBRIC THAT WE TRAIN ALL OF OUR SPECIAL EDUCATORS ON AND PROVIDE THEM SOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXTRA TRAINING, CHOICE, LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AROUND THOSE DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE IEP.
WE HAVE A HIGH QUALITY IEP ACADEMY.
I'VE GOT TO GET USED TO THAT. WE CALLED IT THE COHORTS LAST YEAR.
IT IS HIGH QUALITY IEP ACADEMY, WHICH IS REALLY GEARED TOWARDS OUR NEW TEACHERS ARE NEW TO SPECIAL EDUCATION STAFF, AND IT IS A COACHING CYCLE THAT WILL TAKE THEM THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN IEP.
LOOKING AT THE COMPLIANCE SIDE, DO YOU HAVE THE BOXES CHECKED CORRECTLY AND DO YOU HAVE THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE THERE BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IS IT QUALITY? DO YOU HAVE HAVE YOU HIT THE INDICATORS TO PROVIDE QUALITY INFORMATION AS YOU'RE DEVELOPING IEPS FOR STUDENTS AND TAKING THOSE TO PARENTS TO THE IEP TEAM MEETING TO DEVELOP A TRULY QUALITY INDIVIDUAL PLAN FOR A STUDENT? OUR STAAR DATA ALWAYS DRIVES A LOT OF OUR FOCUS AND A LOT OF OUR WORK.
[00:55:01]
I KNOW YOU RECEIVED A STAAR DATA UPDATE LAST BOARD MEETING, AND SPECIAL EDUCATION CONTINUES TO BE AN AREA OF FOCUS ON OUR STAAR SIDE OF THINGS, BUT I DO CELEBRATE SOME OF OUR DATA AND PARTICULARLY LOOKING AT OUR ELA OR READING LANGUAGE ARTS STAAR SCORES.YOU CAN SEE IN THIS GRAPH IT COMPARES OUR SCORES TO THE STATE, AND WE'RE ABOVE THE STATE.
THAT'S NOT OUR ONLY BENCHMARK, OUR ONLY THRESHOLD, BUT IT FEELS GOOD, RIGHT, TO SEE THAT WE ARE ABOVE THE STATE, BUT ALSO TO SEE THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE RECOVERED BEYOND WHERE WE STARTED BEFORE. COVID IS A CELEBRATION.
IT'S A CELEBRATION, BUT IT'S NOT AT ALL A STOPPING POINT.
SO WITH THAT COMES SOME INSTRUCTIONAL AREAS OF FOCUS FOR OUR TEAM FOR THE 24-25 SCHOOL YEAR, WE ARE IN THE WORKS OF DEVELOPING A CENTRAL PLC, OUR TEACHERS AND STAFF PARTICIPATE IN THE PLC PROCESS OR THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY PROCESS AT THEIR CAMPUSES, BUT WE HAVE DEVELOPED A CENTRAL PLC THAT INCLUDES SOME OF OUR LEADERSHIP, AND WE ARE GOING TO REALLY HONE IN AND FOCUS ON THIRD GRADE READING TO ALIGN WITH YOUR BOARD GOAL OF THE FOCUS ON THIRD GRADE READING, AND THIS CENTRAL PLC WILL INVOLVE SOME COLLABORATION WITH OUR FRIENDS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING, AND REALLY ENSURE THAT WE ARE ALIGNED WITH THE DATA DRIVEN INSTRUCTION INITIATIVE FOR THIS YEAR AND THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE ON THE GENERAL EDUCATION SIDE OF THINGS.
WE ARE PILOTING A NEW READING INTERVENTION PROGRAM IN RESOURCE.
SO THAT PULLOUT SUPPORT, THAT SPECIALLY DESIGNED INSTRUCTION THAT'S HAPPENING IN THE RESOURCE ROOM.
WE ARE PILOTING A NEW READING PROGRAM AT TEN ELEMENTARY CAMPUSES WITH THE INTENT OF COLLECTING DATA AND MONITORING THE IMPLEMENTATION TO DETERMINE IF IT'S TIME TO MAKE A SHIFT AND CHANGE OUR PROGRAMMING SO THAT WE CAN REALLY MEET THE NEEDS OF ALL OF OUR STUDENTS, AND THEN WE HAVE AN INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT SPECIALIST TEAM ON OUR CENTRAL TEAM SUPPORTS THEIR WORK AND THEY HAVE SET SOME SOME GOALS THAT YOU CAN SEE ON THE SCREEN THAT ALIGN VERY CLOSELY WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING IN TEACHING AND LEARNING AND WITH OUR GEN ED SIDE OF INSTRUCTION.
THEY ARE REALLY GOING TO BE FOCUSED ON THAT DATA DRIVEN DECISION MAKING.
THEY ARE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR OUR SPECIAL EDUCATORS OR OUR GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS THAT ARE SUPPORTING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION, AGAIN, THAT PILOTING THAT READING PROGRAM AND OUR OTHER READING INTERVENTION PROGRAMS AND OUR MATH INTERVENTION PROGRAMS. INTENTIONAL LESSON PLANNING AND DESIGN AND THEN HIGH QUALITY IEPS.
AGAIN, BACK TO THAT COMPLIANCE, BACK TO THE PROGRESS MONITORING, BACK TO ENSURING THAT WHAT WE'RE PUTTING IN THOSE PLANS IS NOT JUST COMPLIANT, BUT AT A HIGH LEVEL OF QUALITY FOR OUR STUDENTS, AND SO THEY ARE PARTNERED WITH AND CONNECTED WITH OUR TEACHING AND LEARNING DEPARTMENT.
KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR YOU THIS EVENING.
I KNOW AGAIN, I COULD GO ON AND ON.
WE COULD DO THIS FOR SEVERAL MORE HOURS, BUT I REALLY WANT TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO SOME KEY TAKEAWAYS, AND THAT IS, I CANNOT SAY IT ENOUGH, JUST THE OVERALL INCREASE IN OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION EVALUATION NUMBERS AND THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS PROVIDED SERVICES THROUGH SPECIAL EDUCATION IN RICHARDSON ISD, THAT SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDING GAP AND THE OVERARCHING IMPACT IT HAS ON ALL THAT WE DO, WE CONTINUE TO HAVE CHALLENGES RELATED TO STAFFING AND VACANCIES, AND WE ARE COMMITTED TO OUR FOCUS IN 2024 AND 25 AROUND COMPLIANCE AND INSTRUCTION.
WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR ME? [CHUCKLING] WHERE DO WE WANT TO START? WELL, FIRST AND FOREMOST TAKE A SIP OF WATER. [CHUCKLING] TAKE A SIP OF WATER. GREAT JOB, KATIE BARRETT; THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE TEAM.
YOU KNOW, I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T TAKE A MOMENT TO JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THIS IS HARD WORK.
OUR STAFF, OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS THAT ARE IN THESE CLASSROOMS EVERY DAY.
YOU KNOW, WE KNOW MORE ABOUT STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES THAN WE EVER HAVE.
WE STILL HAVE A LOT TO LEARN, BUT THAT MEANS WE ARE IDENTIFYING DISABILITIES SOONER.
WE ARE RECOGNIZING WE'RE WORKING WITH PARENTS TO HELP THEM RECOGNIZE WHICH MEANS WE HAVE MORE STUDENTS THAT WE'RE IDENTIFYING, WHICH MEANS IT PUTS A GREATER TOLL ON OUR DIAGNOSTICIANS AND OUR OTHER EVALUATORS.
SO WE'RE ASKING THEM TO DO MORE WITH LESS, AND THEY DO IT EXCEPTIONALLY WELL, AND WHY?
[01:00:06]
BECAUSE IT'S HARD WORK AND BECAUSE THEY WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OUR KIDS, AND SO EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT IS INVOLVED WITH OUR SPECIAL STUDENT SERVICES TEAM, THEY HAVE ESPECIALLY BEEN HIT BY THE PIPELINE SHORTAGE.YOU KNOW, BY THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.
THAT CONTINUUM IS REAL, AND WHAT THEY DO EVERY DAY.
IT'S JUST THE MOST REMARKABLE.
JUST THE MOST REMARKABLE THING TO OBSERVE, AND SO I JUST I WANT TO CELEBRATE THEM.
I WANT TO CELEBRATE KATIE'S LEADERSHIP, DR.
GIBBON'S LEADERSHIP, THIS TEAM.
YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT'S PHENOMENAL.
I WAS AT A COUPLE OF CAMPUSES JUST THE OTHER DAY, AND THERE WERE SOME STUDENTS THAT WE WERE ALREADY BEGINNING TO IDENTIFY, AND IMMEDIATELY I COULD CALL MATTHEW, AND IMMEDIATELY THERE WAS A PLAN OF HOW WE WERE GOING TO GET SUPPORT, NOT JUST FOR THE STUDENT, BUT ALSO HOW ARE WE GOING TO SUPPORT THAT GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHER? BECAUSE I THINK THAT IS SOMETIMES REALLY, REALLY HARD.
IF I'M A MOM OF A STUDENT THAT IS IN THAT FOURTH GRADE CLASSROOM AND, YOU KNOW, MY CHILD HAS A FRIEND THAT IS BEGINNING TO DISPLAY SOME OF THESE BEHAVIORS THAT ARE CONCERNING AND MAY BE DISRUPTIVE TO THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, AND OF COURSE, AS A MOM, I'M WORRIED ABOUT HIS ENVIRONMENT, AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE HE CAN STAY FOCUSED ON LEARNING, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE FOLLOWING THE LAW AND THAT WE ARE DOING WHAT WE CAN FIRST AND THAT MOST LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT. IT ALMOST SOUNDS LIKE AN OXYMORON, I KNOW, BUT IT'S THAT LIKE, HOW DO WE ENSURE CAN WE FIRST MEET THEIR NEEDS IN THAT GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM? BECAUSE IF YOU THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, TELLING A MOM OF A FIVE YEAR OLD THAT WE'RE NOT SURE THAT GENERAL EDUCATION SETTING IS THE BEST PLACEMENT RIGHT NOW AND THAT WE NEED TO MOVE THEM INTO A CENTRAL EDUCATION PLACEMENT, THAT'S A REALLY HARD THING FOR THAT MOM TO HEAR, TOO AND SO THREADING THAT NEEDLE SO THAT TEACHER FEELS SUPPORTED THE GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENTS AND PARENTS FEEL SUPPORTED WHILE WE'RE GOING THROUGH THAT IDENTIFICATION PROCESS, BUT WE'RE ALSO SUPPORTING THAT STUDENT WHO WE BELIEVE MAY NEED THAT SPECIAL SUPPORT SERVICES.
IT'S JUST A REALLY HARD BALANCE, AND AGAIN, THIS TEAM I THINK DOES AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB OF THAT, AND I ALSO WANT TO THANK, YOU KNOW, OUR TEACHING AND LEARNING TEAM AND OUR STUDENT SERVICES TEAM, BECAUSE AGAIN, THEY OFTEN PROVIDE A LOT OF THAT SUPPORT WHILE WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT IDENTIFICATION PROCESS.
GIBBONS AND MS. BARRETT ALSO, AND THE WHOLE TEAM FOR BEING HERE.
I'LL OPEN IT UP. DO WE HAVE SOME QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS? START FROM MY COLLEAGUES.
THERE ARE SO MANY DIRECTIONS THAT CAN GO.
THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT THIS WHOLE TEAM AND YOUR TEACHERS, GEN EDS, SPECIAL, ALL OF THEM DO FOR THIS THAT TO GET IT IN A WAY THAT IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PROGRAM AND A WAY THAT'S UNDERSTANDABLE, THAT WAS FANTASTIC.
SO THANK YOU GUYS FOR DOING THAT, AND THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU DO.
I DO WANT TO JUST SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS AND THE JOB THAT THEY DO, BECAUSE NOT ONLY DO THEY WRITE IEPS, THEY EVALUATE IS IT EVERY NINE WEEKS THAT THEY GIVE FEEDBACK ON THEM? PROGRESS MONITORING, PROGRESS MONITORING.
IT IS MULTIPLE CONTENT AREAS AND CARRYING A PRETTY LARGE CASELOAD, AND THEY'RE EXPECTED TO BE EXPERTS IN ALL OF THOSE THINGS IN N REALLY INVEST IN HELPING STUDENTS PROGRESS REGARDLESS OF WHAT THEIR DISABILITY SEVERITY IS, AND SO THEY WORK VERY, VERY HARD.
I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING WITH SOME REALLY GREAT ONES, AND THEY MAKE A DIFFERENCE EVERY DAY IN THOSE KIDS LIVES, BUT THEY ALSO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, TO YOUR POINT, MS. BRANUM, IN OUR GENERAL ED TEACHERS LIVES BECAUSE THEY SUPPORT THEM IN FINDING STRATEGIES AND IN FINDING WAYS FOR THOSE STUDENTS TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN WHATEVER THAT LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT IS. SO I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE A SPECIAL SPECIAL THANK YOU FOR THEM FOR THE HARD WORK THAT THEY DO.
SO I KNOW THE ANSWER TO A COUPLE OF THESE, BUT I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT WHEN WE HAVE A FUNDING GAP AND WE HAVE STUDENTS WHO NEED SERVICES, AND YET WE DO NOT HAVE THE FUNDS FOR THOSE, DO WE JUST SAY, SORRY, WE'RE NOT SERVING YOUR KID? NO, MA'AM. THANK YOU FOR ASKING THAT.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS WE DON'T HAVE ROOM FOR YOU OR WE ARE FULL IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.
[01:05:04]
WHAT IS OUR OBLIGATION AS A DISTRICT? WHAT DO WE DO? RIGHT? YES.YOU JUST CREATE IT, RIGHT? NO. YOU JUST. YES. I MEAN, YOU HAVE TO CREATE IT.
IT MAY BE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR.
IT MAY BE INVESTIGATING AND FINDING NEW PROGRAMS. I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO THE FLEXIBILITY OF THIS PROGRAM.
BACK WHEN, WHEN I WAS A PRINCIPAL AND TEACHER HERE AND WE WERE IN A LOT OF THE NUMBERS, ESPECIALLY OUR NUMBERS WITH STUDENTS WHO HAVE AUTISM, WERE GROWING SIGNIFICANTLY. INITIALLY, OUR SUPPORT, IF THEY HAD REALLY SIGNIFICANT NEEDS, WOULD THEY WOULD GO INTO WHAT THEN WAS CALLED THE BEHAVIOR PROGRAM, BUT PASS NOW, CORRECT? SOMETIMES THEY HAD TO BE IN THERE WITH STUDENTS WHO WERE UNPREDICTABLE AND THAT WAS REALLY TOUGH FOR THOSE KIDS, AND IT WAS TOUGH FOR THE TEACHERS AND ALL OF THAT, AND SO TO SEE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE FOUND SOME WAYS TO REALLY ADDRESS THOSE NEEDS IN A WAY THAT'S MORE CONDUCIVE TO THEIR SUCCESS.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE GROWTH IN THE PROGRAM FOR THAT, AND I KNOW THAT OUR PARENTS DO, AND I KNOW THAT THOSE STUDENTS THAT'S A BIG HELP FOR THEM IN THAT MORE STRUCTURED ENVIRONMENT. SO I LOVE HOW THE PROGRAMS CONTINUALLY GROW, EVEN WITH DYSLEXIA.
THAT IS A BIG DEAL TO BE TO BE COMPLETELY AND FULLY, WHAT IS IT? IT'S NOT LICENSED. FULLY ACCREDITED.
ACCREDITED, THANK YOU. I KNEW I HAD THE WRONG WORD.
ACCREDITED. THAT IS A BIG DEAL.
THAT WAS NOT A SMALL AMOUNT OF WORK.
SO THANK YOU FOR DOING SUCH A GREAT JOB WITH THAT.
LET'S SEE. MS. BRANUM, CAN I GET YOU TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE VISION THAT YOU HAVE AT GREENWOOD HILLS? I THINK IT'S DIFFERENT. I THINK YOU'RE, AGAIN, GROWING THE PROGRAM, AND I WOULD LOVE FOR US TO JUST HEAR A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THAT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE.
SO A COUPLE OF THINGS AS WE THINK ABOUT WHAT GREENWOOD HILLS WILL BECOME IN THIS, IN THIS NEXT PHASE ONE THING IS WE'RE SUPER PROUD TO PARTNER WITH THE PROGRAM CALLED TO BE LIKE ME AND THAT PROGRAM IS AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY WHERE EVERY STUDENT IN RISD IN THE FIFTH GRADE HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO.
WELL, NOW THEY WILL GO TO GREENWOOD HILLS AND THEY WILL HAVE AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE WHERE THERE ARE ACTUAL STUDENTS, ADULTS WITH SPECIFIC DISABILITIES THAT MAY BE DYSLEXIA, IT MAY BE AUTISM, IT MAY BE WITH A PHYSICAL ABILITY.
IT MAY AND WE CALL THOSE PHYSICAL.
IT'S LIKE A DIFFERENT PHYSICAL ABILITY, AND THAT STUDENT ACTUALLY IS PUT INTO A SIMULATION WHERE THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO BE SOMEONE WITH DYSLEXIA? WHAT IS WHAT DOES SOMEONE EXPERIENCE WHEN THEY HAVE A SENSORY PROCESSING DISORDER IN WHICH THE TOUCH OR THE SMELL OR EVERYTHING CAN BE TRIGGERING? AND SO OUR GEN ED EXPERIENCE, OUR GEN ED TEACHERS AND STUDENTS GET TO EXPERIENCE THAT ALONGSIDE THEIR STUDENTS, THEIR PEERS WITH DISABILITIES, AND IF YOU WOULD READ THE REFLECTIONS, IT'S ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL THINGS OUR STUDENTS, THEY LEARN EMPATHY, NOT SYMPATHY.
THEY LEARN EMPATHY, AND THEY LEARN THAT WHAT AN INCREDIBLE WHAT INCREDIBLE STRENGTH THEIR PEERS HAVE THAT DESPITE FACING THOSE CHALLENGES EVERY DAY, WHAT THEY'RE ACCOMPLISHING, AND SO IT'S PHENOMENAL, BUT THE NEW PART OF GREENWOOD HILLS BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN DOING TO BE LIKE ME, BUT NOW WE GET TO HOST IT AND IT'LL BE FREE OF CHARGE FOR OUR DISTRICT AS A RESULT OF THAT.
SO THANK YOU, BOARD, FOR SUPPORTING THAT.
THE OTHER PART OF WHAT WE WANT TO DO THERE IS WE WANT TO CREATE MODEL CLASSROOMS FOR THESE CENTRAL SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS. SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT, AS MS. BARRETT WAS DESCRIBING THE STRUCTURED LEARNING CLASSROOM OR THE PAST CLASSROOM, IT'S NOT JUST THE TEACHER AND THE PARAPROFESSIONALS THAT ARE UNIQUE IN TERMS OF THAT SMALLER SETTING.
IT'S THE WAY THAT THE CLASSROOM IS DESIGNED.
IT'S THE VISUALS THAT ARE USED IN THE CLASSROOM.
IT IS THE WAY THAT YOU STRUCTURE DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE ROOM IN A WAY THAT ALLOWS THAT TEACHER TO MOVE STUDENTS BETWEEN DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES, DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES, GIVE THEM A CALM DOWN PLACE IF NEEDED.
THAT ALLOWS ALSO FOR EXTRA SAFETY FOR ALL INVOLVED, AND IT'S REALLY HARD RIGHT NOW TO TRAIN TEACHERS BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE THOSE MODEL CLASSROOMS, AND IT'S HARD TO, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T PROVIDE TRAINING JUST IN TIME WHEN YOU HAVE A TEACHER WITH THE PARAPROFESSIONALS AND THE STUDENTS.
SO BEING ABLE TO TAKE THEM TO A AN EXEMPLAR CLASSROOM AND TRAIN THEM WITH THE MATERIALS THAT WE KNOW THAT THEY SHOULD BE USING, WITH THE DESIGN OF THE ROOM IN THE WAY THAT IT SHOULD BE USED, WE THINK IS GOING TO BE INCREDIBLY PROFOUND FOR OUR TEACHERS BEING ABLE TO TAKE OUR GEN ED TEACHERS OVER AND EXPERIENCE THAT.
I WAS AT BIG SPRINGS THE OTHER DAY.
[01:10:02]
Y'ALL, IN THE SECOND WEEK OF SCHOOL, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEIR THIRD, FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADERS THAT ARE IN THAT PASS PROGRAM, THEY WERE ALL OUT IN THE GENERAL ED SETTING ON THE FIFTH DAY OF SCHOOL, WHICH IS INCREDIBLE, BUT THOSE THOSE GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS NEED TO HAVE THE EXPERIENCE TO UNDERSTAND HOW DO I BEST MEET THE NEEDS OF THAT STUDENT WHEN THEY'RE COMING INTO THAT INCLUSION SETTING? SO GIVING THEM AN OPPORTUNITY.HERE'S WHY WE DESIGNED THE ROOM.
THE PAST CLASSROOM, THE WAY THAT WE DO HERE ARE VISUAL CUES THAT WE USE IN THAT CLASSROOM.
HOW COULD WE USE THAT IN THE GENERAL ED SETTING.
SO WE'RE GOING TO CREATE THAT MODEL, AND THE GREAT NEWS IS REGION TEN IS GOING TO BE AN INCREDIBLE PARTNER WITH US, AS WELL AS WYLIE ISD AND SOME OTHER REGIONAL DISTRICTS WHERE WE CAN SHARE THAT WE'RE NOT THE EXPERTS IN ALL THINGS.
WE CAN'T BE WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH HUMAN OR FISCAL RESOURCES TO BE THE EXPERTS IN ALL THINGS.
WE'RE REALLY GOOD AT ALL OF IT, BUT TO BE THE EXPERTS.
SO IT MIGHT BE THAT A DISTRICT, WE'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THE AUTISM GRANT.
SO IT MIGHT BE THAT THEY HELP SPONSOR SOME OF THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AROUND THE BEHAVIOR.
GIBBONS? BECAUSE I GET REALLY EXCITED WHEN I TALK ABOUT THIS.
THIS ISN'T ANYWHERE RIGHT NOW, AND I THINK THAT FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES, IT'S A GAP THAT HAS BEEN IN WHERE WE ARE AND WHERE WE WANT TO BE.
IS THAT WHEN YOU HAVE A BRAND NEW TEACHER, WHEN YOU HAVE AN ASSOCIATE TEACHER THAT IS STILL GOING THROUGH THEIR PROGRAM, YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO GO TO TAKE THEM TO SAY, THIS IS WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE. THIS IS WHAT IT SHOULD SOUND LIKE.
SO TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THEM TO A PLACE LIKE THIS IS GOING TO BE INCREDIBLE.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE US SOME TIME TO DESIGN IT AGAIN.
YOU HEARD KATIE. WE'RE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF MOVING, YOU KNOW, THE STAFF OVER THERE, BUT WE HOPE, YOU KNOW, BY 25, 26 THAT WE HAVE SOME EXEMPLAR ROOMS AND THAT WE WILL BE ONE OF THE FIRST DISTRICTS TO OFFER THIS KIND OF SUPPORT TO NOT JUST RISD, BUT TO OUR PEERS.
YOU WANT TO TEACH THEM HOW TO COMPENSATE AND HOW TO LEARN DIFFERENTLY, ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES SO THAT THEY CAN GET BACK INTO GENERAL ED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, OR ADVANCE AS FAR AS THEY CAN. RIGHT.
I THINK I THINK THAT'S THE GOAL, BUT I THINK AND I THINK EVERY TEACHER GETS UP AND I THINK THEY WANT THAT FOR ALL OF THEIR STUDENTS, BUT YOU ONLY KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW, AND SO THE ABILITY TO HAVE MORE STRATEGIES TO PULL FROM JUST MEANS THAT'S GOING TO MAKE FOR MORE STUDENT SUCCESS, MORE TEACHER SUCCESS.
THAT IN ITSELF WILL BE RETENTION.
THERE'S NOTHING LIKE WATCHING A STUDENT SUCCEED TO MAKE YOU WANT TO STAY WHERE YOU ARE.
LET ME JUST SAY THAT, AND SO I'M SUPER GLAD THAT IS THE FOCUS OF THAT.
I THINK THAT'S GOING TO PAY HUGE BENEFITS, AND THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK.
I HOPE YOU PASS THAT AROUND TO YOUR TEACHERS THAT YOU GUYS WORK WITH AS WELL.
ALL RIGHT. WHO'S NEXT? YES, MS. PACHECO.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT GREAT PRESENTATION, AND THANK YOU, TEAM, FOR BEING HERE.
JUST KIND OF PIGGYBACKING ON MS. TIMME'S OVER HERE WITH FUNDING.
WE'VE INCREASED 30% OF SERVICES RIGHT AND EVALUATIONS.
HAVE WE RECEIVED ANY INCREASE IN FUNDING FOR THOSE SERVICES? ANYONE? WELL, SO HERE'S WHAT I'LL SAY, MR. PATE, CORRECT ME AT ANY POINT IF I'M WRONG, IF WE HAVE A STUDENT THAT LET'S SAY THEY'RE SITTING IN THE GEN ED SETTING RIGHT NOW, WE WOULD RECEIVE THE BASIC ALLOTMENT FOR THAT STUDENT AND THE ATTRIBUTES OF THAT STUDENT HAS, AS WE GO THROUGH THE IDENTIFICATION PROCESS, DEPENDING UPON WHERE THEY ARE IN THAT CONTINUUM, IF THEY'RE A GENERAL EDUCATION, RECEIVING INCLUSION SUPPORT, OR IF THEY'RE IN A MORE CENTRAL PROGRAM, THE DISTRICT WOULD RECEIVE ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THAT STUDENT.
THE COST OF, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE'RE HAVING TO PAY TEACHERS MORE.
MR. PATE, I WILL BRING YOU YOUR GOLD STAR LATER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EXPLAINING THAT.
[01:15:04]
IDENTIFIED FOR DYSLEXIA, AND ONCE WE GIVE THEM THE SERVICES AGAIN, WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE THAT GAP ONCE THEY'RE IDENTIFIED.THE LAST ANOTHER QUESTION I HAVE AND I RECEIVED THIS QUESTION A LOT FROM THE COMMUNITY.
HOW LONG IS THE PROCESS? YOU ALL MENTIONED IT'S 45 DAYS FOR THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT, BUT HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE BETWEEN THAT ASSESSMENT IN ADDITION TO THE ASSESSMENT FROM THE, YOU KNOW, THE COMMITTEE MEETING AND THEN THE PARENTS MEETING AND HAVING THAT THE NEW EDUCATIONAL PLAN SET UP IN PLACE.
LIKE YOU, YOU SAW ON THE SLIDE THAT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THAT EVALUATION, THE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS OF THAT EVALUATION, IT TAKES A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME TO DO THAT WELL, AND TO DO THAT RIGHT, AND TO HAVE GOOD INFORMATION ABOUT A STUDENT.
WE ALSO THERE ARE CERTAIN EVALUATION TOOLS THAT OUR EVALUATORS USE THAT REQUIRE, SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, TEACHER INPUT AND THAT TEACHER INPUT REALLY ISN'T EVEN CONSIDERED VALID UNTIL THEY'VE KNOWN THAT CHILD FOR THREE WEEKS OR WHATEVER.
THE, YOU KNOW, THE PARAMETERS OF THE ACTUAL BATTERY THAT THEY'RE USING FOR THE EVALUATION OR FOR THE FORMAL TESTING, AND SO, YES, 45 DAYS IS THE TIMELINE FOR THE INITIAL EVALUATION, AND THEN BY LAW, WE HAVE 30 DAYS BEYOND THAT TO COMPLETE THE FIRST INITIAL ARD COMMITTEE MEETING.
WE TRY NOT TO WE DON'T WANT THAT TO TAKE A FULL 30 DAYS, BUT IT ALSO CAN'T BE.
I'VE COMPLETED THE EVALUATION.
I'VE LOCKED THAT EVALUATION OR THAT FEE.
LET'S HAVE THE MEETING TOMORROW, BECAUSE THAT DOESN'T GIVE A PARENT TIME TO PROCESS THIS INFORMATION TO COME TO THE MEETING PREPARED TO BE AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT, AND SO EVEN EVEN IN A QUICKLY MOVING PROCESS, THERE WOULD BE A PROBABLY A TWO WEEK TO THREE WEEK GAP BETWEEN THE CONCLUSION OF THE EVALUATION AND THE GATHERING OF THE COMMITTEE TO DEVELOP THAT INITIAL IEP, BECAUSE EVERYONE THEN NEEDS TO USE THAT INFORMATION TO DRAFT A PLAN, TO THEN ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN DEVELOPING AND AGREEING ON THAT PLAN, AND SO THAT'S A TYPICAL TIMELINE.
PERFECT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT EXPLANATION.
YOU KNOW, THAT WAS MY MEASURE OF TIME.
IT FELT LIKE A LONG TIME BECAUSE IT IS VERY THOROUGH AND VERY WELL DONE.
THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS, ARE RESOURCE ROOMS THE SAME AS SELF-CONTAINED ROOMS? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AS WELL.
THEY ARE BOTH SPECIAL EDUCATION SETTINGS AND A KID CAN.
IT'S A SERVICE OR A SUPPORT, AND SO A STUDENT CAN RECEIVE SUPPORT IN ANY SPECIAL EDUCATION SETTING IF THAT IS WHAT'S PRESCRIBED IN THEIR IEP BUT NO A RESOURCE CLASSROOM.
I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. I WAS AT A CAMPUS THE OTHER DAY.
THEY HAVE FOUR SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS IN A CLASSROOM KIND OF SET UP.
THIS RESOURCE TEACHER HAS PULLED A FIRST GRADE GROUP AND THEY'RE DOING THEIR MATH INSTRUCTION.
THIS OTHER ONE MIGHT HAVE 1 OR 2 KIDS AND THEY'RE WORKING ON THEIR SOCIAL SKILLS GOALS.
YOU'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN THAT CLASSROOM.
AGAIN, WE'RE PUSHING THEM OUT.
IT MAKES MY HEART SO HAPPY TO HEAR WHAT YOU SAW AT BIG SPRINGS.
WE GOT REPORTS THAT WAS HAPPENING AT OTHER CAMPUSES, THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE GETTING OUT INTO THE GEN ED AND BENEFITTING FROM THAT EXPOSURE AND THAT EXPERIENCE, BUT THAT IS THEIR HOME BASE, THAT IS THEIR CLASSROOM FOR THE DAY THAT THEY THEN PUSH OUT FROM.
WE PULL YOU OUT, YOU SPEND A LITTLE TIME HERE AND THEN YOU'RE BACK TO YOUR HOME ROOM.
PERFECT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT EXPLANATION.
I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THAT, AND I ALSO GET QUESTIONS ON RESOURCE ROOMS. IT IS REAL AND I APPRECIATE THAT SO MUCH.
I KNOW THAT SOME STUDENTS, INCLUDING MY OWN, THAT IS NOW GRADUATED BUT HAD RESOURCE WHEN IT WAS ELEMENTARY AND THEN THEY HAD HE HAD SUPPORT TEACHERS IN CERTAIN CLASSES THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL.
LET'S SEE, I THINK THIS IS MY LAST ONE.
HOLD ON. DO YOU KNOW BY CHANCE THE INCREASE OF PERCENT OF THE STUDENTS YOU GUYS EVALUATED LAST YEAR THAT WERE SPECIFIC TO DYSLEXIA WITH THE NEW CHANGE, JUST BALLPARK? I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE THAT DATA PULLED FOR TONIGHT.
I CAN WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND PULL THAT FORWARD FOR YOU IN AN UPCOMING REPORT.
I WONDERED WHAT THAT PERCENTAGE WAS BASED ON YOUR EVALUATIONS.
YOU KNOW THAT I SAW, BECAUSE IT'S A LOT OF EVALUATIONS YOU GUYS DID.
SO I JUST I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THAT.
YEAH. WE CAN BRING THAT FORWARD.
TRUSTEES. OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? MS. RENTERÍA. ALSO, THANK YOU FOR A GREAT
[01:20:09]
KATIE, I'VE KNOWN YOU FOR A LONG TIME, AND YOU DO AN OUTSTANDING JOB.YOU ALREADY KNOW WHERE I STAND ON THAT.
SO, BUT THANK YOU FOR THAT WONDERFUL PRESENTATION, AND, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY [INAUDIBLE] I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS FOR ME IS I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR WE TALKED ABOUT THE ACRONYMS. YOU MENTIONED THAT, AND I THINK FOR A PARENT IT IS VERY OVERWHELMING.
I MEAN, WE I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE THE TEACHERS AND THE TRAINING THAT THEY HAVE AND I MEAN ALSO TO SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS.
SUPPORTING OUR PARENTS IS SUPER IMPORTANT.
I THINK THAT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR CHILD WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH BACKGROUND OR YOU HEAR THERE'S SO MUCH AND ESPECIALLY NOW YOU CAN JUST GOOGLE, YOU KNOW, DR.
GOOGLE, WHICH IS TERRIBLE, RIGHT? BUT THERE'S ALL KINDS OF THINGS.
SO I KNOW THAT FOR PARENTS IT'S DIFFICULT.
SO IT'S GREAT WHEN I HEAR THAT THERE'S A SUPPORT TEAM FOR THAT, ESPECIALLY FOR PARENTS THAT I'VE SEEN THAT I'VE ENCOUNTERED THAT ENGLISH IS NOT THEIR FIRST LANGUAGE, AND SO I THINK FOR THAT'S SUPER IMPORTANT THAT THERE IS SOMEBODY WHO CAN, YOU KNOW, THAT I CAN GO TO WHO CAN UNDERSTAND NOT ONLY MY LANGUAGE, RIGHT, SPEAK MY LANGUAGE, BUT UNDERSTANDS MY CULTURE OR MY HOME LIFE, AND THAT UNDERSTANDS THAT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO HELP MY CHILD. WHAT DO I WHERE DO I START? I THINK IS THE HARD PART.
I KNOW WITH ME MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AS WELL TOO.
YOU KIND OF HAVE AN IDEA, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOMETHING THERE, BUT YOU DON'T KNOW, AND SO I KNOW THAT I WAS VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE FACT THAT PEOPLE JUST TO LISTEN TO ME RIGHT WHO DIDN'T DISMISS ME AS YOU'RE OVERPROTECTIVE OR HE'S FINE, YOU KNOW, HE'S GOING TO BE OKAY.
OR DON'T COMPARE HIM TO, YOU KNOW, AND WHILE YOU TRY NOT TO DO ALL THOSE THINGS, IT'S YOU STILL WANT A PROFESSIONAL.
YOU WANT SOMEBODY TO SAY, OKAY, IT'S THIS, NOT THAT OR SOMETHING.
WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC MAYBE JUST AN EXAMPLE OF LIKE, HEY, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, I'M MUSLIM OR I SPEAK SPANISH OR I, YOU KNOW, I WHATEVER, I COME, I DON'T LIVE FROM HERE, BUT NOW I AM.
HOW DO WE MEET THE NEEDS OF THOSE PARENTS TO HELP THEM ACCLIMATE TO JUST WHAT THIS JOURNEY IS GOING TO BEGIN TO LOOK LIKE, AND YOUR YOUR EXAMPLES ARE SO SPOT ON.
THESE ACRONYMS ARE A LANGUAGE OF THEIR OWN, BUT SO IS THE US SCHOOL SYSTEM.
SO OUR PARENTS RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS THROUGH UNDER IDEA AND SO IT IS A WHOLE 'NOTHER WORLD.
I JOKINGLY SAID I COULD PROVIDE YOU ALL WITH A, YOU KNOW, GRADUATE LEVEL COURSE TONIGHT.
THINK ABOUT HOW A PARENT FEELS, AND I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.
MS. RENTERÍA I WAS AT A CAMPUS TODAY WITH A FAMILY, AND THEY THEY ACTUALLY HAVE MOVED AND WERE NEEDING INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR CHILD RECEIVING SERVICES IN A SELF-CONTAINED CLASSROOM, AND WHEN WE SAID, OH, YOU LIVE IN A DIFFERENT DISTRICT, YOU NEED TO GO ENROLL THERE.
THEY SAID, YOU'RE JUST KICKING MY MY CHILD OUT.
THE PRINCIPAL AND I GOT TO SIT THERE AND SAY, NO, NO, NO, GUESS WHAT? THAT OTHER DISTRICT HAS THE SAME OBLIGATION AND WE HAVE THIS PLAN THAT YOU CAN TAKE THAT THEY ARE READY TO START ONCE THEY SEE IT AND KNOW WHAT HAS BEEN DESIGNED FOR YOUR CHILD, AND SO IT WAS TO ME A GREAT REMINDER OF THEY, THEY IT WASN'T ABOUT A LANGUAGE BARRIER THAT WE WERE COMMUNICATING IN ENGLISH, BUT THEY JUST HAD NOT EXPERIENCED OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM, WHETHER THAT BE THE US SCHOOL SYSTEM OR JUST THAT THEIR LITTLE KINDERGARTNER HASN'T BEEN IN SCHOOL LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW ALL THE INS AND OUTS OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN TEXAS, AND SO I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT.
SO SO THAT EXAMPLE, I FEEL LIKE THAT A PART OF THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS THE RELATIONSHIPS AND THE TIME THAT WE JUST TAKE WITH PEOPLE, RIGHT? THE PRINCIPALS WHO SIT IN ARD COMMITTEE MEETINGS AND WILL SAY, HANG ON, MOM, YOU GOT A QUESTION MARK IN YOUR EYEBALLS, AND WHAT DID WE JUST SAY THAT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO YOU OR THAT WAS TOO ACRONYM-Y OR TO SCHOOL-Y? AND WE'RE GOING TO UNPACK THAT FOR YOU.
I THERE'S A LOT OF OUR MONEY THAT GETS INVESTED IN OUR THIRD PARTY VENDORS WHO PROVIDE THAT TRANSLATION SERVICE, BUT IT'S NECESSARY, AND WE'LL SIT AND SAY, YOU KNOW, A PARENT MIGHT SAY, NO, NO, NO, I'VE LEARNED A LOT OF ENGLISH.
I WANT TO DO THIS MEETING IN ENGLISH, AND WE'LL SAY, OKAY, BUT HERE'S YOUR INTERPRETER.
SO IF WE HIT A POINT THAT YOU DO HAVE THE QUESTION MARK, WE CAN SHIFT TO SPANISH OR WE CAN SHIFT TO FARSI OR WHATEVER YOUR HOME LANGUAGE IS, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE SEEN, JUST IN THE YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN IN THIS ROLE, I'VE SEEN AN INCREASE IS THE AVAILABILITY OF VIRTUAL MEETINGS AND A VIRTUAL INTERPRETER, AND THAT INCREASES A
[01:25:10]
PARENT'S ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE.MAYBE THEY DON'T HAVE TO TAKE THREE HOURS OFF OF WORK TO COME TO SCHOOL AND BE A PART OF ARD COMMITTEE MEETING, BUT SINCE WE'LL OFFER IT VIRTUALLY, THEY CAN JUST TAKE THEIR LUNCH BREAK IN A PRIVATE PLACE AT THE OFFICE AND STEP INTO THE MEETING AND BE AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT, AND THAT HAS REALLY INCREASED, AND THAT IS MAYBE TO QUOTE A FORMER BOSS OF MINE, MR. [INAUDIBLE], SOME INNOVATIVE DISRUPTION OR A DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION THAT WE EXPERIENCE FROM COVID IS WE HAD TO USE THOSE VIRTUAL MEETINGS ALL THE TIME.
DURING COVID, WE HAD TO DO COVID, WE HAD TO DO VIRTUAL MEETINGS DURING COVID BUT THAT HAS NOW BECOME ENOUGH OF A NORM OR A COMFORT LEVEL FOR THE STAFF THAT WHEN A PARENT WANTS IT THAT WAY, WE CAN PROVIDE THAT AND THAT INCREASES SOME COMFORT LEVEL OR SOME PARTICIPATION, AND I THINK WHERE WE WOULD SAY WE HAVE TO SPEND MOST OF THE TIME AND WE WANT TO SPEND MOST OF THE TIME, IS WHEN WE DO SUSPECT THERE MIGHT BE A DISABILITY.
SOMETIMES, YES. IT'S THE PARENT WHO'S ADVOCATING AND SAYING, I KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING NOT RIGHT.
I KNOW MY CHILD IS NOT, YOU KNOW, EITHER BEHAVING OR ACADEMICALLY ACHIEVING AT THE SAME LEVEL OF HIS PEERS, BUT SOMETIMES IT'S WE SUSPECT A DISABILITY AND THE PARENT MAY NOT BE IN A PLACE WHERE THEY UNDERSTAND OR THEY BELIEVE OR THAT IS WHAT THEY THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY WHEN THEY HAD THEIR CHILD WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS GOING TO BE IN THAT FUTURE OF THEIR, OF THEIR CHILD, AND SO THAT IS WHERE I THINK WE HAVE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME AND WHERE THE EXPERTISE OF THIS TEAM.
THIS MEANS THAT YOUR CHILD IS GOING TO HAVE PROTECTIONS.
TO YOUR POINT, MS. PACHECO, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE? WELL, SOMETIMES IT TAKES LONGER BECAUSE WE'RE HAVING TO WALK THAT PARENT.
WE WANT TO WALK THAT PARENT ALONG WITH US SO THAT THEY UNDERSTAND, SO THAT THEY DO CONSENT FOR THAT EVALUATION OR THEY DO CONSENT, BUT YES, MY CHILD NEEDS THOSE SERVICES, AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF TEACHING THAT'S GOING ALONG, A LOT OF WILLING TO ASK QUESTIONS MULTIPLE TIMES.
ARE WE PERFECT AT IT? NO, AND ARE THERE STILL PARENTS? I'M SURE THAT AREN'T SURE HOW TO ACCESS THAT, OR ARE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO NAVIGATE THAT? YES, BUT THE AVAILABILITY OF OUR TRANSLATION SERVICES, I THINK, HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN CLOSING THAT GAP IN A WAY THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO DO BEFORE.
THANK YOU FOR THAT. I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WHEN I ALWAYS SPEAK AND I KNOW PEOPLE HAVE HEARD ME TALK ABOUT JUST THE LANGUAGE, JUSTICE, YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS, RIGHT? AND TO HAVE SOMEBODY COME IN AND BE ABLE TO COME IN MY OWN LANGUAGE AND REALLY SPEAK TO SOMEONE WHO CAN UNDERSTAND ME AND HELP ME NAVIGATE THIS THING.
SO I THINK THAT'S AWESOME, THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING, AND I COMMEND YOU AGAIN, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT NOT ONLY IN JUST IDENTIFYING AND INITIALLY, BUT I THINK LIKE ESTABLISHING THAT RELATIONSHIP YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR FROM PRIMARY TO SECONDARY, AND REALLY SEEING HOW THAT CHANGES AND HOW THAT MOVES.
RIGHT, AND SO I THINK OUR PARENTS ARE ALWAYS I THINK AS LONG AS YOU KNOW WHAT I LOVE AND WHAT I'M SEEING HERE IS THAT AS LONG AS IT'S ALWAYS, ALWAYS APPROACHABLE AND LOVING AND KIND, WHICH YOU GUYS HAVE SHOWN, WHICH IS WONDERFUL.
I THINK FOR EVERY PARENT, THAT'S JUST WHAT THEY'RE NEEDING, WHETHER IT BE THAT I'M THE ONE THAT HAS SAY OR TO REALLY IT'S GOING TO TAKE ME A WHILE TO COME TO TERMS WITH WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS WHAT I NEED.
WELL, AND IF I MAY ADD SOMETHING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE LANGUAGE BARRIER THAT YOU REFERENCED I SPOKE ABOUT ARD COMMITTEE MEETINGS BEING TRANSLATED, BUT WE PROVIDE THAT TRANSLATION SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
SO IF OUR EVALUATOR IS CALLING YOU TO SAY, HEY, I NEED TO LEARN THE PARENT INFORMATION FROM YOU, I NEED TO KNOW WHAT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YOUR CHILD AT HOME THAT'S HAPPENING IN THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE OR THE REPORT'S COMPLETE.
WE DO THAT IN THE NATIVE LANGUAGE AS WELL, AND SO THAT BARRIER IS IS REAL, AND WE KNOW THAT, AND WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO BREAK IT DOWN AND ESTABLISH THAT CONNECTION IN A WAY THAT'S COMFORTABLE FOR PARENTS.
RIGHT, AND I THINK THAT'S AWESOME.
I THINK THE OTHER THING, WHEN I WAS THINKING ABOUT PARENTS, I ALSO PARAPROFESSIONALS, YOU KNOW, WE MENTIONED THAT, AND SO I WORKED AS A PARAPROFESSIONAL, YOU KNOW, AND I REMEMBER ONCE BEING ALSO AN INTERN IN A IT WAS AN INCLUSION HIGH SCHOOL CLASS, AND MY, THAT SUMMER THAT I INTERNED, I REMEMBER
[01:30:05]
YOU KNOW, THAT WAS IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE.SO AND SO HAVE SOME OF THESE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THAT ARE TWICE YOUR SIZE SOMETIMES THE MALE STUDENTS WHO ARE AGAIN, VERY BIG, YOU KNOW, AND IT WAS LIKE I HAD SOME GREAT MENTOR TEACHERS THAT HELPED ME NAVIGATE THAT, BUT, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS, I KNOW THAT ACROSS THE BOARD, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, WE DON'T PAY THEM ENOUGH FOR THE WORK THAT THEY DO, AND I KNOW THAT AS A PARAPROFESSIONAL, YOU KNOW, EVEN MYSELF, WHEN I DID IT YEARS AGO, AND FOR THOSE THAT I WORKED WITH, YOU KNOW, OTHERS AND EVEN NOW, I MEAN, THEY PRETTY MUCH HOLD DOWN A CLASSROOM THAT A TEACHER, I MEAN, THEY BASICALLY ALMOST DO EVERYTHING, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE CERTIFICATION YET.
LIKE, I MEAN, CAN YOU GIVE ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MAYBE.
I THINK I KNOW, BUT, LIKE, THE TURNOVER OF THAT.
IS IT, IS IT IS IT JUST THE PAY.
IS IT I MEAN, I KNOW IT'S THE PAY.
IT'S ALL OF THE ABOVE AND IT'S HISTORIC.
WE HAVE THAT IS NOT JUST A CURRENT REALITY.
IT IS ALWAYS A REALITY, BUT I DO THINK WE SEE THAT INFORMAL FEEDBACK WE GET AS WE LOSE SOMEONE MIGHT BE I CAN MAKE THE SAME AMOUNT WORKING AT BUC-EE'S, AND I WON'T BE HIT OR KICKED BY A STUDENT WHEN THEIR DISABILITY IS IMPACTING THEIR BEHAVIOR.
OR I CAN MAKE MORE MONEY DOING X, Y, AND Z.
SO ABSOLUTELY, THERE IS A PAY COMPONENT, AND IN MANY OF OUR FOLKS ARE SAYING, I LOVE MY JOB, BUT THE COST OF MY LIVING HAS INCREASED SUCH THAT I'VE GOT TO LOOK FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAT MAYBE IS A YEAR ROUND JOB AND HAS A GREATER PAY, BUT THERE IS.
I MEAN, THERE IS A LEVEL OF BURNOUT OR INTENSITY THAT COMES WITH THAT ROLE TOO.
AS YOU MENTIONED, SOME OF OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS COME INTO THIS WORK WITH A HEART FOR OUR KIDS, AND THEY LOVE WHAT THEY DO, BUT THEY'RE NOT THEY DON'T HAVE A BACKGROUND IN EDUCATION. THEY DIDN'T FORMALLY TRAIN TO STEP INTO THOSE ROLES, AND SO THE BURNOUT IS REAL.
SO I MEAN, WE SEE A LOT OF REASONS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THAT AND CERTAINLY WATCH OUR TURNOVER.
IT IS A REALITY, THOUGH, WHEN YOU'VE GOT A BRAND NEW TEAM, YOU'RE STARTING FROM SCRATCH AND BUILDING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER, WITH YOUR STUDENTS, WITH THE FAMILIES YOU SUPPORT, AND SO WE WANT TO KEEP OUR STUDENT, I MEAN, PARDON ME, OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS AND THE RETENTION OF OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS IS AS IMPORTANT AS THE RETENTION OF OUR TEACHERS. ONE OF THE PROJECTS THAT HR IS WORKING ON FOR ME RIGHT NOW IS WE ARE ACTUALLY LIKE CALLING EITHER EDUCATORS OR PARAPROFESSIONALS THAT ARE IN THE DISTRICT THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, WE MIGHT HAVE AN EDUCATOR THAT HAS A SPECIAL ED CERTIFICATION OR A BILINGUAL CERTIFICATION, BUT THEY'RE NOT IN A BILINGUAL OR SPECIAL ED CLASSROOM, AND WE'RE CALLING TO FIND OUT WHY NOT? WHAT IS IT? WHAT COULD WE DO? YOU KNOW, TO YOUR TO YOUR POINT, IS IT PAY? IS IT CONDITIONS, IS IT TRAINING? IS IT JUST WHAT WHAT WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FROM THE DISTRICT? WE ARE AS YOU ALL THANKS TO YOU ALL OUR SALARIES ARE COMPETITIVE, EVEN FOR OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS.
AGAIN, IT'S NOT ENOUGH, BUT THEY ARE COMPETITIVE WITH OUR BENCHMARK DISTRICTS.
SO WHAT ARE THOSE ADDITIONAL WHAT ELSE ARE WE NOT THINKING OF? AND I DON'T HAVE THAT ANSWER NOW, AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE LITERALLY CALLING ONE BY ONE TO TRY TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND TRY TO HAVE HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, BECAUSE THAT RETENTION IS HITTING US HARD IN EVERY ROLE.
RIGHT, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT I KIND OF EXPECTED.
I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND HISTORICALLY HOW IT'S BEEN AND IT'S NOT JUST OUR DISTRICT, RIGHT.
IT'S JUST EVERYWHERE, AND RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT.
LIKE, WHAT? WHAT IS IT THAT WE COULD DO? LIKE WHAT? WHAT IS IT WE'RE WORKING ON? OR HOW DO WE JUST MAKE THAT? BECAUSE WHEN I SEE THAT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, 16 PARAPROFESSIONAL.
I'M JUST THINKING, AND I KNOW YOU SAID THAT YOU HAD WE HAVE SUBSTITUTES OR LIKE, EVEN LAST YEAR, LIKE, DID ALL THOSE GET FILLED OR DO THEY GO LIKE WERE THEY JUST DO NOT EVER GET FILLED? SO FIRST OF ALL, WE ALWAYS EITHER HAVE THAT POSITION FILLED BY EITHER A CONTRACT TEACHER OR BY A LONG TERM SUBSTITUTE.
SO WE ALWAYS HAVE AND I DON'T KNOW IF HR IF YOU WANT TO CHIME IN FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE.
WE KEEP TRACK OF THOSE EVERY YEAR.
IT IS A CHALLENGE BECAUSE THERE IS SIGNIFICANT TURNOVER IN THOSE RANKS, BUT WHAT WE TEND TO DO IS WE WILL GET A LONG TERM SUB IN THE POSITION, AND THEN WE ALSO TRY TO GET CREATIVE WITH SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO ARE ALREADY ON STAFF.
[01:35:09]
CENTRAL CLASSES TO THEIR, THEIR SCHOOLS.DURING THE DAY, THAT PARTICULAR BUS MONITOR MIGHT HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF DOWNTIME.
WE HAVE WORKED ON GETTING THEM TRAINED AND ACTUALLY ASSIGNED THEM TO THE CAMPUS, WHERE THEY'RE TAKING THE KIDS THAT THEY SEE EVERY MORNING AND EVERY AFTERNOON, AND THEY ACTUALLY SERVE IN THE ROLE OF A PARAPROFESSIONAL IN THE CLASSROOM JUST AS A SUPPORT.
THEY HAVE A CONNECTION, A RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM.
OUR BUS MONITORS IN THAT SITUATION ARE TRAINED IN CPI AND OTHER TECHNIQUES, SO THAT THEY ARE NOT JUST KIND OF WALKING IN AND NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO AND SO WE'RE STILL TRYING TO GET INNOVATIVE AND CREATIVE, BUT THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF HOW WE TRY TO SUPPLEMENT THE SUB WITH ANOTHER LAYER OF SUPPORT IN THAT CLASSROOM, AND YOU KNOW, THANK YOU FOR THAT. I THINK THAT'S SUPER IMPORTANT TOO, RIGHT? BECAUSE AS A PARENT, YOU WANT TO I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE PUT CONFIDENCE IN THE FACT THAT OUR CHILDREN ARE BEING LOOKED AFTER BY THESE PROFESSIONALS, RIGHT? WHETHER IT BE THE TEACHERS OR PARAS, [INAUDIBLE] SUPER IMPORTANT, BUT ON TOP OF THAT, THAT OUR KIDS ARE THRIVING, YOU KNOW, IN THE CLASSROOM [INAUDIBLE].
YOU MENTIONED, I KNOW LIKE HOW MANY WE HAVE AS FAR AS DIFFERENT, ALL THE DIFFERENT THERAPISTS AND ALL, BUT HOW MANY THERAPISTS DO WE HAVE, LIKE THE DIFFERENT KINDS? LIKE, ARE THEY ALL EMPLOYED BY THE DISTRICT OR ARE THEY SUBCONTRACTED? YES. WE EMPLOY OUR OWN, WE CALL THEM OUR RELATED AND ITINERANT SERVICES TEAM.
SO THAT INCLUDES, I THINK, WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, OUR MUSIC THERAPISTS AND OUR OTS AND PTS.
THERE'S SOME OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS, PHYSICAL THERAPISTS.
WE HAVE ONE MUSIC THERAPIST WHO SUPPORTS ALL OVER THE DISTRICT.
WE HAVE THE MOBILITY, VISUAL IMPAIRMENT TEACHERS.
I MEAN, WE HAVE THAT. IT IS A WIDE RANGE OF SPECIALTIES WITHIN THAT TEAM.
THEY CALL THEMSELVES THE TEAM OF TEAMS BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY SUB TEAMS WITHIN THAT GROUP, BUT THERE'S 28 OF THEM ON THAT, ON THAT R&I TEAM, AND WITH THOSE 28, ARE THEY STILL ABLE TO MEET THE NEEDS LIKE WE SAW THAT 30% INCREASE.
ARE WE STILL ABLE TO MEET I MEAN I KNOW IT'S MORE LIKE YOU'RE SAYING THEY'RE DOING MORE FOR LESS, AND SO WHAT? JUST JUST TO GIVE AN EXAMPLE, WHAT HAPPENS THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF A YEAR IS KATIE AND THE TEAM AS WE ARE WORKING THROUGH EVALUATIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, I BELIEVE WE CURRENTLY HAVE 40 STUDENTS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE IDENTIFIED ARE GOING TO NEED SOME LEVEL OF PLACEMENT.
44 HAVE MOVED IN WITH EXISTING IEPS.
SO THOSE BEYOND THAT, YEAH SO THOSE 44 FOR EXAMPLE, NOT ALONE.
OTHERS THAT WE KNOW ARE IN THE PROCESS OF BEING TESTED.
IF WE BEGIN TO SEE OKAY, WE KNOW OUT OF THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE X PERCENT THAT ARE GOING TO NEED THESE ADDITIONAL ITINERANT SERVICES, WHICH MEANS IT'S GOING TO PUT US OVER THE CASELOAD, AND THAT'S WHEN THEY COME TO US AND THEY SAY, OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO NEED ADDITIONAL ALLOCATIONS, AND SO THEN DR.
GOODSON AND MR. PATE AND I, WE SIT IN A ROOM AND WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR BUDGETS AND WE IDENTIFY AND SO AGAIN, IT GOES TO MS. TIMME'S EARLIER QUESTION.
ONCE THE STUDENTS HAVE THAT IDENTIFIED NEED AND WE'VE HIT THE THRESHOLD OF THE SERVICES THAT WE CAN PROVIDE REGARDLESS, YES, WE HAVE A DEFICIT BUDGET, BUT GUESS WHAT? WE STILL POST AND WE HIRE FOR THAT POSITION, AND IF I MAY ADD TO THAT ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE SEEN THAT TEAM IN PARTICULAR, MS. RENTERÍA, WE'VE SEEN SOME REAL INTENTIONAL WORK AROUND EFFICIENCIES OF THEIR CASELOAD.
YOU MENTIONED BEFORE THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING OR THE BENEFIT OF HAVING MAYBE THE SAME THERAPIST ALL THE WAY THROUGH ELEMENTARY, LET'S SAY, AND WE DEFINITELY RESPECT THAT AND HONOR THAT, BUT WE'VE ALSO LOOKED FOR WAYS WE CAN INCREASE OUR EFFICIENCIES AROUND EVEN JUST LEARNING COMMUNITIES.
RIGHT. IF YOU ARE THE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST AND YOU'RE WORKING WITH A STUDENT AT BRENTFIELD ELEMENTARY, BUT YOUR NEXT STUDENT'S AT WHITE ROCK, WE'VE JUST CREATED A BIT OF A TIME WASTE, AND SO BALANCING THAT, YOU KNOW, THE RELATIONSHIPS, THE CONTINUITY OF SERVICES, BUT ALSO WHERE ARE WE TIGHTENING UP SOME OF THE LOST TIME OR THE CASELOAD BALANCE THAT COULD HELP PRODUCE EFFICIENCIES.
SO OUR TEAM WORKS REALLY HARD ON THAT.
I MEAN, JUST BUT I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW AS WELL BECAUSE I KNOW, AGAIN, WITH ME PERSONALLY, MY OWN PERSONAL STORY WITH, YOU KNOW, ONCE IT GETS TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH MY SON WHO NEEDED A, WHO MET WITH A PSYCHOLOGIST AT THE TIME THAT THEY, THROUGH HIS IEP, YOU KNOW, THEY SET HIM UP WITH ALL THAT, AND SHE COULD ONLY COME
[01:40:02]
ONCE A MONTH, AND SO THAT WAS REALLY HARD BECAUSE YOU TALK ABOUT RELATIONSHIP.BECAUSE MY SON HAD THAT RELATIONSHIP.
HE KNEW LIKE BECAUSE SHE TAUGHT HIM SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO ADVOCATE FOR HIMSELF OR TO, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY LIKE IN HIGH SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, ALSO DIFFERENT METHODS OF HOW TO DEAL WITH THE STRESS OR ANXIETY OF SOMETHING, AND SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE HARD PART IS, I MEAN, THE GREAT PART IS THAT SHE WAS AWESOME.
THE HARD PART WAS SHE WASN'T ACCESSIBLE ENOUGH, AND THAT WAS JUST WITH HIM.
SO SHE WAS ONLY ON CAMPUS LIKE ONCE A MONTH OR SOMETHING.
NOW WHAT SHE WAS GREAT ABOUT WAS, SHE WOULD TELL HIM, HEY, YOU CAN EMAIL ME.
YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, DO THIS NOW.
SHE WAS LIKE, JUST LET HIM KNOW YOU WANT TO COME SEE ME, AND SO THAT IS AWESOME.
WHEN STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY YOUR SECONDARY STUDENTS WHO NEED THAT SUPPORT, CAN REALLY GO TO SOMEONE AND BE LIKE, HEY, I AND SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS IT, RIGHT? WHO KNOWS THEIR HISTORY, WHO KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON AND VERY WITHOUT JUDGMENT, WITHOUT JUST LIKE I'M HERE TO HELP YOU AND I'M.
RIGHT? YEAH, AND SO THAT'S WHAT I WONDERED ABOUT THAT.
I'M ALMOST DONE. I'M SORRY. I DON'T MEAN TO TAKE UP ALL THE SPACE HERE, BUT I KNOW MY COLLEAGUES ALSO HAVE TO SPEAK, BUT ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS I WANTED TO KNOW WHEN WE TALKED MS. PACHECO MENTIONED ABOUT THE TIMELINE.
WHEN WHEN A PARENT GOES IN AND SAYS, HEY, I'M NOT SURE.
I THINK IT'S THIS, THIS AND THAT.
RIGHT. SO THEY'RE LIKE, OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO TEST THEM FOR THIS.
I KNOW, AGAIN, IN MY OWN PERSONAL STORY, IT WAS WHERE LIKE, HE WAS NOT DYSLEXIC.
SO IT'S LIKE, OKAY, WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS AND THIS IS, AGAIN, THIS MAY HAVE CHANGED.
THIS IS, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, IT'S LIKE FOUR YEARS AGO, BUT I REMEMBER THE EVALUATION BEING THAT HE MAY BE WHAT IS IT? THE DYSCALCULIA.
THE ONE WITH NUMBERS. RIGHT? NOT SO MUCH. RIGHT? RIGHT. THANK YOU, BUT THAT THERE WAS NO WAY FOR HIM TO BE IDENTIFIED THAT I HAD TO GO TO, LIKE, SCOTTISH RITE OR SOMETHING.
IS THAT. DOES THAT STILL HOLD TRUE? LIKE, IF IT'S.
SO IF IT IS, IF THEY SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? NOW WE CAN TEST HIM FOR THIS.
NOW HE CAN BE SOMEONE CAN SAY, OKAY, NOW LET'S HAVE HIM TESTED FOR THIS.
AT THE TIME IT WAS LIKE, WE THINK IT'S THIS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE ANYBODY WHO CAN DO THAT.
NO, MA'AM, AND I HAD TO GO OUTSIDE, AND THAT'S PART OF THAT MULTIDISCIPLINARY EVALUATION TEAM THAT WE CALL THE MDET, AND BRINGING THOSE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES TO THE TEAM. WE OFTENTIMES WILL INITIATE AN EVALUATION AND GET CONSENT FROM A PARENT, BUT LIKE YOU SAID, WHETHER IT'S PARENT REQUESTED, LIKE I THINK MY CHILD HAS FILL IN THE BLANK DISABILITY OR THE SCHOOL IS OBSERVING, AND WE'VE TALKED TO YOU ABOUT OUR CONCERNS AND WANT TO EVALUATE, WE MIGHT GO IN THINKING IT'S A SPEECH DISORDER.
WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S SPEECH, BUT PART OF THE CONSENT PARENTS GIVE IS THAT FULL BATTERY OF EVALUATION, AND SO OUR EXPERTS GET IN THERE, AND THEY MIGHT ACTUALLY KIND OF DIRECT THAT EVALUATION TOWARDS SOMETHING ELSE OR CONSIDERATION FOR A DIFFERENT DISABILITY, AND SO THEY HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF LOOKING AT THE WHOLE CHILD AND FIGURING OUT WHAT'S GOING ON, WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, THE DISABILITY YOU INITIALLY SUSPECTED SOMETHING DIFFERENT OR NOT A DISABILITY AT ALL, BUT THAT IS THEIR JOB, AND THAT'S WHY IT IS A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH.
THAT'S AWESOME BECAUSE I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY, I WILL FIND OUT, RIGHT? I MEAN, I WILL HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.
THIS IS WHAT I THINK WE HAVE, BECAUSE AGAIN, EXPERTS ARE TELLING ME, RIGHT.
SO AGAIN, I THINK IT'S JUST SUPER, SUPER IMPERATIVE THAT WE CONTINUE THAT, AND I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR, AGAIN, JUST EVERYBODY WHO REALLY DOES THE THOROUGH JOB OF HAVING TO BECAUSE IT'S A LOT AND IT'S LENGTHY.
I THINK THAT FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO KNOW THAT IS OUR NUMBER ONE GOAL IS THAT WE MEET THE NEEDS OF EVERY SINGLE CHILD EVERY SINGLE DAY, AND NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES, NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TAKES, THAT WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING BECAUSE WE WANT EVERY SINGLE CHILD TO THRIVE AND BE SUCCESSFUL, AND I THINK EVERY PARENT [INAUDIBLE].
SO AGAIN, TO ALL OF YOU GUYS THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
THE STUDENTS THAT WE SERVICE IN THIS SITUATION.
DO WE KNOW WHAT THE DEMOGRAPHIC I MEAN I'M SURE WE DO.
IS IT YOU KNOW MORE TOWARDS, YOU KNOW, ONE DEMOGRAPHIC, AND HOW DO WE KIND OF PUT IN THE ECO-DIS AS WELL? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, AND I DID NOT BRING THAT DATA TONIGHT IN A FORMAL SETTING WE CAN CERTAINLY GET THAT AND KIND OF BREAK IT DOWN FOR YOU AND ENSURE THAT WE'RE DOING SO WITH STUDENT CONFIDENTIALITY IN MIND, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THE STATE MONITORS WERE ASKED TO REVIEW AND MONITOR AND LOOK AT.
[01:45:07]
SIDE, I AM NOT AN EVALUATOR BY TRADE, BUT THERE ARE SOME EXCLUSIONARY FACTORS THAT PROHIBIT US FROM JUMPING TO AN IDENTIFICATION OF A DISABILITY BASED ON SOME OF SOME OF THOSE DEMOGRAPHICS OR SOME OF THE BARRIERS STUDENTS MIGHT HAVE EXPERIENCED.SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IF A STUDENT IS A REFUGEE THAT HAS JUST MOVED TO OUR COUNTRY AND THERE'S BEEN A HUGE GAP IN THEIR EXPOSURE TO LEARNING, THERE IS THERE'S KIND OF A AND I'M PARAPHRASING, SHE'S PROBABLY LIKE CRINGING THAT I'M NOT USING THE RIGHT EVALUATION TERMS, BUT THERE'S A STOP GAP OF LIKE, WE CANNOT GO ANY FURTHER CONSIDERING DISABILITY BECAUSE WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS CHILD HAS HAD THIS GAP IN THEIR EXPOSURE TO LEARNING SO THAT WE ARE EXPECTED TO MONITOR THOSE THINGS, AND THERE'S SOME LICENSURE AND ETHICAL STANDARDS FOR OUR EVALUATORS AROUND THAT.
I UNDERSTOOD EVERYTHING YOU WERE SAYING.
SO THAT MEANS A WHOLE, WHOLE LOT.
I ALSO WANT TO SAY THAT THIS MAY BE TIME FOR US AS A BOARD TO GO AND VISIT THIS.
COME ON. WELL, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT, YES, WE HAVE A PLAN FOR Y'ALL.
I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SHE'S A CLASS.
I'M JUST SAYING. ALSO HUGE KUDOS TO THE STAFF, BECAUSE ACTUALLY, I WAS VISITING A SCHOOL RECENTLY AND HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE STAFF REALLY JUMP IN, IN A SITUATION, AND THE STUDENT WAS NOT HAVING A GOOD DAY.
IT WAS THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.
SO AS WE KNOW, WHEN THEY RETURNED FROM THAT BIG BREAK, IT IS DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO RETURN TO SCHOOL, AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT YOU'VE GOT TRUSTEES, YOU'VE GOT PEOPLE FROM THE ADMIN THAT ARE KIND OF HOVERED AROUND JUST KIND OF WATCHING.
YOU KNOW, I DID GO OVER AND TOLD THEM HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE THEM, BUT THEY DID AN EXCELLENT JOB.
EXCELLENT JOB. GLAD TO HEAR THAT.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
YOU KNOW, WHEN WE LEARN TO TAKE BEST CARE OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, WE'LL ALL BE BETTER.
SO I HAVE A KIDDO AT STULTS, AND LIKE MS. HARRIS STATED, BEING IN SCHOOL, FIRST DAY, FIRST TWO DAYS, WHATEVER WEEK.
I ALSO HAVE THE EXPERIENCE OF SEEING KIND OF AN ISSUE AS WELL, AND WAS ABLE TO INTRODUCE MYSELF TO CLASSROOM TEACHERS, AND THEY WERE AMAZING THE WAY THEY HANDLED THOSE KIDS WITH CARE AND LOVE.
ONE SAID SHE WAS FROM GREENWOOD HILLS AND THEY BROUGHT THE UNIT FROM GREENWOOD HILLS AND THAT THERE WERE MAYBE THERE WAS MAYBE A CHALLENGE, I THINK WITH JUST WITH BECAUSE OF OUR CONSTRUCTION. RIGHT, AND WE'RE STILL DOING CONSTRUCTION AT THE SCHOOL, WHICH IS UNDERSTANDABLE.
WHAT CAN WE DO AS A BOARD TO SUPPORT THAT CLASSROOM OR THE CLASSROOM STRUCTURES THAT Y'ALL NEED THOSE SUPPORTS IN? I'D LIKE TO KNOW, LIKE, WHAT YOU NEED FROM US AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO BETTER SUPPORT THOSE STRUCTURES.
WELL, THE FIRST THING THAT, WELL, SO THERE'S KIND OF A COUPLE OF THINGS.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WOULD SAY THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE COMPENSATION PLAN.
THAT WENT A LONG WAY IN HAVING OUR VACANCIES TO WHERE THEY ARE.
I WILL TELL YOU THAT WE'RE ALREADY WORKING ON WHAT ARE WE GOING TO BRING FORWARD NEXT YEAR, ESPECIALLY AROUND THAT PARAPROFESSIONAL GAP? AND HOW DO WE CLOSE THAT PARAPROFESSIONAL GAP? IN TERMS OF THE PHYSICAL THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, THAT IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING FOR.
YOU KNOW, AS YOU KNOW, WE ARE DUE FOR A BOND IN THE NEAR FUTURE, AND THE BOARD WILL BE CONSIDERING A TIMELINE FOR A POTENTIAL BOND, AND AS A PART OF THAT, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT IS WHERE ALL OF OUR CENTRAL PROGRAMS PLACED, AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE ADDITIONAL NEEDS THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE AND MIGHT EVERYTHING BE IT MIGHT BE ANYTHING FROM YOU KNOW, THERE ARE INSTALLED, FOR EXAMPLE, SWINGS OR CHAIRS.
CHAIR LIFTS THAT HELP MOVE STUDENTS FROM POINT A TO POINT B, AND HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ALL OF THOSE IN THE LOCATIONS AND IN THE CLASSROOMS THAT WE NEED TO? ACCESSIBILITY TO RESTROOMS AND THAT KIND OF THING, AND SO THAT WILL BE SOMETHING WE WILL DO A WE DO A COMPLETE AUDIT BEFORE WE GO INTO THAT BOND PLANNING TO SAY, HERE ARE OUR NEEDS, AND THEN IF THERE IS AN EMERGENCY SITUATION WHERE WE RECOGNIZE WE'VE HAD TO MOVE A CENTRAL PROGRAM OR WE'VE HAD TO OPEN UP ANOTHER CLASSROOM
[01:50:08]
AGAIN, PER THE BOARD, WE DO HAVE A SET OF FUNDS AND OUR CAPITAL PROJECT FUNDS WHERE IF WE DO HAVE AN EMERGENCY AND AGAIN, MS. HAYES AND HER TEAM ARE PHENOMENAL OF WE HAVE TO DO SOME EMERGENCY CONSTRUCTION.THEN WE CAN DO SO ADDING A BATHROOM THAT IS NOT AN EMERGENCY CONSTRUCTION THAT INVOLVES SOMETHING THAT IS FAR MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN THAT, BUT THERE'S LOTS OF OTHER THINGS THAT WE DO IN THE EMERGENCY.
GIBBONS OR MS. BARRETT YOU WOULD WANT TO ADD OR MS. HAYES, YOU WOULD WANT TO ADD ANYTHING IN TERMS OF THAT JUST QUICKLY.
JUST YOUR ADVOCACY OUT IN WITH GENERAL PUBLIC AROUND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE, YOU KNOW, SPECIAL EDUCATORS AND THE FEDERAL RULES THAT ARE AROUND AROUND ALL OF IT, THE EXPERTISE THAT IT TAKES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING WHAT'S RIGHT, AND I COULD TELL BY EVEN SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE BEING ASKED, LIKE, HOW LONG DOES THAT EVALUATION LAST? BECAUSE YOU WILL HEAR THAT STUDENT'S BEEN IN THERE FOREVER AND THEY'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING AND NOTHING'S HAPPENING, WHEN IN REALITY IT IS.
IT'S JUST THIS PROCESS THAT HAS TO BE FOLLOWED.
SO ANY TYPE OF WAY THAT WE COULD HELP YOU GUYS IN UNDERSTANDING MORE AROUND THE PROCESS AND JUST YOUR GENERAL ADVOCACY FOR SPECIAL ED OUT IN THE GENERAL PUBLIC WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. WELL, AND I'LL TAKE THAT TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF WE NEED ADVOCACY WITH THE LEGISLATURE AROUND FUNDING.
AGAIN, JUST IF YOU JUST LOOKED AT THAT $12 MILLION GAP, IF THEY JUST FILLED THAT GAP, WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN FOR OUR BUDGET, AND AGAIN, WHAT ARE SOME OTHER INNOVATIVE THINGS THAT WE COULD DO AROUND STAFFING, AROUND YOU KNOW, JUST COMPENSATION, ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
SO THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
THANK YOU. NO, THANK YOU GUYS.
HOW DO YOU ALL DECIDE? YOU SAID I THINK YOU SAID THAT THERE ARE UNITS AND THERE IS A SPECIAL PROGRAMMING IN EACH ONE OF OUR SCHOOLS, EVERY EVERY SCHOOL HAVE IT.
HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHERE WE? ALMOST ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS HAVE AT LEAST ONE SELF-CONTAINED OR CENTRAL PROGRAM ON THEIR CAMPUS.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, I'LL USE STULTS SINCE YOU REFERENCED IT; THEY HAVE THOSE STRUCTURED CLASSROOMS. THEY'RE NEW TO THEIR CAMPUS THIS YEAR.
I'VE BEEN THERE AND CHECKED IN ON THEM.
GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING, BUT AND THEN AT SECONDARY, THEY HAVE MULTIPLE, RIGHT? THEY MIGHT HAVE A PASS CLASS AND A STRUCTURED OR A DEVELOPMENTAL.
THE LAW REQUIRES THAT WE PROVIDE STUDENTS THEIR SERVICES AT THE CAMPUS CLOSEST TO THEIR HOME AS AS REASONABLY APPROPRIATE, AND SO WE DO OUR BEST TO ENSURE THAT WITHIN LEARNING COMMUNITIES, THERE'S AN ADEQUATE AMOUNT OF PROGRAMMING FOR EACH TYPE OF PROGRAM OR ENOUGH SECTIONS OF EACH TYPE OF PROGRAM BUT THAT IS ALSO WHAT DRIVES SOME OF THESE CHANGES, AND MAYBE TO DR.
GIBBONS'S, POINT YOUR AWARENESS AND YOUR ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT THERE CAN HELP IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
WHAT IS GOING ON? DO THEY NOT KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING? WHY ARE THEY MOVING EVERYTHING AROUND? IT IS IN RESPONSE TO THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT'S MORE FLUID THAN, SAY, YOUR AVERAGE FIRST GRADE CLASSROOM OR A BILINGUAL PROGRAM OR YOU KNOW THAT IS GOING TO FLEX AS OUR STUDENTS NEEDS.
HERE'S WHERE THEY ARE AT THEIR HOME CAMPUS.
HOW DO WE HOW DO WE KEEP THEM CLOSEST TO THEIR CAMPUS? WE DON'T WANT THEM ON A BUS FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME TO GET TO THE BUILDING THAT HAS THE PROGRAM THAT THEY NEED.
WE LOOK AT DOES THAT, YOU KNOW, AS SIMPLE AS DOES THE BUILDING HAVE SPACE? WE TRY TO LOOK AT A BALANCE OF PROGRAMMING AT AN ELEMENTARY CAMPUS.
YOU KNOW, THERE MAY BE LIMITED SUPPORTS.
YOU MIGHT HAVE A PRINCIPAL AND AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AND VERY LITTLE OTHER SUPPORT STAFF AND SO IF YOU ADD TOO MANY CENTRAL PROGRAMS HOW ARE YOU GOING TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THAT? KEEP IN MIND A LOT OF OUR CENTRAL PROGRAMS, THEY ALSO DO INCLUSION IN THE GENERAL ED SETTING.
SO YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT ARE THERE ENOUGH SEATS IN THE GENERAL ED SETTING? SO WHEN THE STUDENTS IN THIS GROUP OF STUDENTS ARE IN THAT GENERAL ED SETTING, CAN THAT TEACHER AND THOSE STUDENTS, ARE THEY STILL KIND OF IN THAT 22 TO 1 RATIO, SO THAT WE'RE NOT OVERWHELMING THE GEN ED STUDENTS OR THE GEN ED TEACHER? SO IT REALLY IS.
IT'S KIND OF THIS AMAZING KIND OF MAGNET BOARD OF, OF ALL OF THESE NEEDS THAT WE'RE IDENTIFYING, AND TO CHOOSE THE BEST LOCATION POSSIBLE, AND IT DOES MEAN OFTENTIMES THAT WE DO DO WE DO HAVE TO DO A LITTLE BIT OF RECONSTRUCTION OR CONSTRUCTION IN A ROOM OR IN AN AREA IN ORDER TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THAT PROGRAM, BUT ONCE WE HAVE DESIGNED THAT, THEN WE TRY TO HOLD TRUE TO THAT ROOM BEING USED IN THAT WAY, BECAUSE WE KNOW WE'VE MADE AN INVESTMENT.
[01:55:09]
OFTENTIMES IT'S, YOU KNOW, HAVING TO ADD THAT PROGRAM OR ADD THAT SPECIALTY SOMEWHERE ELSE, BUT IT'S A CHESS GAME, LIKE YOU CAN EVEN IMAGINE.THAT'S ANOTHER QUESTION I WAS GOING TO ASK.
DO YOU SEE IT MOVING QUITE OFTEN.
DO YOU ALL KIND OF MOVE THESE THINGS AROUND? OUR GOAL IS NO.
BECAUSE I THINK WHAT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT, IF YOU HEARD IN THE PRESENTATION, IS THAT IT'S NOT JUST THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND THE TRAINING FOR THOSE THAT ARE IN THOSE PROGRAMS, IT'S ALSO THE TRAINING FOR THE GEN ED TEACHERS AS WELL AS FOR THE PRINCIPAL AND THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL.
THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AND THE PRINCIPALS ARE HANDS ON IN THESE PROGRAMS. YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WHEN I WAS AT BIG SPRINGS, MR. [INAUDIBLE] IS NEW TO BIG SPRINGS, AND HE IS LEARNING PASS AND THE NEW DESIGN AND, YOU KNOW, HE IS HANDS ON.
SO WE TRY NOT TO MOVE PROGRAMS INDISCRIMINATELY BECAUSE WE'VE INVESTED SO MUCH IN TRAINING THE ENTIRE THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT THAT PROGRAM, AND SO WE REALLY TRY TO HAVE CONSISTENCY WHEN POSSIBLE, PROJECT RIGHT SIZE, I THINK, IN MY OPINION, IN THE LAST TEN YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN HERE, THAT'S BEEN THE MOST DISRUPTION AND THE MOST MOVEMENT WE'VE HAD TO HAVE BECAUSE WE WERE CONSOLIDATING THOSE SCHOOLS.
REALLY IT'S USUALLY NOT NECESSARILY MOVING PROGRAMS. THOSE COLLABORATIVE CONVERSATIONS IN THE PASS HAS BEEN ADDING WE NEED TO ADD TWO MORE PASS CLASSROOMS, OR WE NEED TO ADD OUR NUMBERS BECAUSE OF EVALUATIONS INDICATE WE NEED ANOTHER SDC ROOM.
MAJORITY OF THE KIDS ARE IN THE RICHARDSON LEARNING COMMUNITY.
I'M MAKING THAT UP IN A CERTAIN LEARNING COMMUNITY.
WHAT BUILDING? FIRST OF ALL, HAS THE EXPERTISE.
COULD WE ADD A ROOM THERE? OH, THEY DON'T HAVE ROOM.
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU GUYS ARE PRETTY CAUGHT UP WITH YOUR EVALUATIONS? DO YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT THAT? I MEAN, I'VE HEARD STORIES AND I'VE HEARD FROM PARENTS ABOUT EVALUATIONS AND THE NUMBERS, AND SO I'M JUST CURIOUS.
I WILL TELL YOU, WE LOOK REALLY DEEPLY AT THAT.
WE TAKE THAT OBLIGATION SO SERIOUSLY, AND, YOU KNOW, YOU HEAR STORIES IN THE NEWS ABOUT DISTRICTS AND OTHER AREAS THAT ARE GROSSLY BEHIND, RIGHT? TALKING MONTHS, SCHOOL YEARS BEHIND IN A STUDENT'S EVALUATION, AND I'M PLEASED TO TELL YOU THAT EVEN IN CASES WHERE WE PERHAPS WERE LATE, WE'RE LATE BY A DAY OR THREE DAYS, AND WHILE WE DON'T WANT THAT AND WE'RE NOT HAPPY OR SATISFIED WITH THAT, I ALSO KNOW THAT IS NOT CONTRIBUTING TO A SIGNIFICANT DELAY IN SUPPORTS AND SERVICES FOR A STUDENT.
THE NUMBER OF EVALUATIONS, THE PIPELINE SHORTAGE OF EVALUATORS AND THE IMPACT THAT HAS ON OUR TEAM.
IT'S TAKING OUR FULL TIMELINE.
IN MOST CASES, IT'S TAKING CLOSE TO THAT 45 DAY MARK, AND THERE'S A SNOWBALL EFFECT, RIGHT? IF WE IF WE SPED SOMEONE UP AND PLOPPED THEM AT THE FRONT OF THE LINE, THEN WHOEVER WAS AT THE BACK NOW BECAME A DELAYED EVALUATION, AND THAT'S NOT APPROPRIATE FOR KIDS AND WE'RE NOT OKAY WITH THAT. SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, THERE ARE SOME INSTANCES WHERE WE ARE NOT HITTING THAT 45 DAY TIMELINE, BUT WE HAVE DUG DEEP AND WE ARE CONFIDENT IT IS NOT BY ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT, AND WE SIT AT A 97, 96 POINT SOMETHING PERCENT COMPLIANCE RATE THERE.
SO WHILE WE DO HAVE SOME THAT ARE BEHIND, IT IS NOT AT A SIGNIFICANT OR ALARMING NUMBER FOR US.
OKAY, AND JUST MY LAST COMMENT, THIS IS JUST A REALLY LIKE KUDOS, SUPER LIKE CELEBRATION.
I WAS WITH A SPECIAL A SPECIAL PARENT LAST NIGHT.
SHE HERSELF HAS SPECIAL NEEDS, AND SHE GRADUATED FROM OUR SCHOOLS, AND SHE HAS A DAUGHTER THAT SHE'S ALSO PUT THROUGH RISD, AND SHE'S SPECIAL NEEDS AND SHE'S STILL HERE IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT.
SO WE KIND OF CHATTED ABOUT THAT FOR A LITTLE WHILE, AND IT'S BEEN A GOOD EXPERIENCE FOR HER.
SO JUST KUDOS TO YOUR DEPARTMENT AND WHAT YOU GUYS DO.
IT'S GOOD TO SEE LEGACY COME BACK.
SPECIAL NEED LEGACY, COME BACK WITH THEIR SPECIAL NEEDS KIDS TOO.
ALL RIGHT, MS. PACHECO, I'M SORRY TO DO THIS TO YOU GUYS.
THAT WAS SUCH A GREAT ENDING, BUT I'M GOING TO MESS IT UP.
I HAD ONE LAST QUESTION, AND IT JUST CAME INTO MY MIND.
WHAT DO WE DO? JUST LIKE HOW HOW WE SUPPORT STUDENTS WHEN WE DON'T HAVE A TEACHER THAT SUPPORTS THEIR SPECIAL NEED, WE CREATE THAT, RIGHT?
[02:00:07]
WE FIND THE PERSON.WHAT DO WE DO WHEN A PARENT OR GUARDIAN SAYS, NO, I DON'T WANT THESE SERVICES FOR MY STUDENT.
HOW DO WE GROW THAT STUDENT? A VERY, VERY GREAT QUESTION.
THERE'S A LOT OF INITIAL PAUSE ON A PARENT'S PART, RIGHT AND EVEN THINKING THROUGH ONE OF OUR CONCERNS AS DYSLEXIA WAS MOVING UNDER SPECIAL EDUCATION WAS WOULD THE SEMANTICS OF THAT OR WOULD THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF THAT CAUSE A PARENT TO BE LIKE, WHOA, I DON'T WANT THOSE SERVICES KNOWING THAT YOUR CHILD NEEDS THAT AND WE WANT TO PROVIDE THAT SERVICE, AND WE WERE REALLY PLEASED THAT WE DID NOT HAVE MANY PARENTS THAT EVEN PAUSED, LET ALONE COMPLETELY REVOKED SERVICES OR REFUSED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH SERVICES. SO PART OF IT GOES BACK TO WHAT MS. RENTERÍA WAS SAYING AND JUST THE RELATIONSHIP, THE TIME INVESTED IN TALKING TO A PARENT AND REALLY HELPING THEM UNDERSTAND WHAT IS SPECIAL EDUCATION.
WE SOMETIMES SOMETIMES THAT INITIAL NO THANK YOU IS ABOUT STEREOTYPES OR MISUNDERSTANDING, AND IF WE CAN TAKE THE TIME TO EDUCATE A PARENT OR BUILD THAT RELATIONSHIP, WE CAN ONBOARD THEM AND HELP THEM SEE THE BENEFIT OR THE NECESSITY FOR THEIR CHILD, BUT THE REALITY IS, IF WE HIT A POINT WHERE A PARENT TRULY REVOKES SERVICES OR COMPLETELY DECLINED SERVICES, THEIR CHILD IS A GEN ED, SO THEY'VE LOST THE PROTECTIONS AND SUPPORTS FROM A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE THAT STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES HAVE, AND THEY ARE A GEN ED TEACHER. I MEAN, PARDON ME, A GEN ED STUDENT.
NOW, WE KNOW THAT OUR CAMPUS TEAMS ARE AMAZING.
THEY'RE GOING TO RALLY AROUND THAT KID. THEY'RE GOING TO FIND FIND WHAT INTERVENTIONS AND SUPPORTS ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH GENERAL EDUCATION, BUT IF THERE'S A KNOWN DISABILITY AND THERE'S A, YOU KNOW, A RECOMMENDED PROGRAM FOR THAT CHILD, AND PARENTS ARE NOT ALLOWING US TO PROVIDE THAT, WE KNOW THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE OKAY.
OKAY, WELL, HOW ELSE CAN WE MEET THAT GOAL? OR HOW ELSE CAN WE SUPPORT THAT DISABILITY OR THE IMPACT OF THAT DISABILITY THAT YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT? THEY'RE A PART OF THAT COLLABORATIVE PROCESS.
SO I WOULD SAY VERY FEW CASES DO WE FIND OURSELVES UNABLE TO GET TO A PLACE WHERE THEY ARE WILLING TO CONSIDER ALLOWING US TO PROVIDE THOSE SUPPORTS.
OKAY. WELL, THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR.
I DON'T KNOW. I THOUGHT ABOUT IT BECAUSE I REMEMBER SEEING THE DOCUMENTS, AND PART OF IT SAYS THAT I HAD SEVEN DAYS TO CHANGE MY MIND, AND SO I WONDERED, YOU KNOW, DO OTHER PARENTS CHANGE THEIR MIND AFTER THEY GO THROUGH THIS GREAT PROGRAM AND ALL THESE SERVICES THAT ARE BEING OUTLINED FOR THEIR STUDENTS, BUT, I MEAN, MAYBE THERE WERE SOME.
LAST THING YOU GUYS MENTIONED YOU KNOW, TO TALK ABOUT AND ADVOCATE FOR FUNDING.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING YOU ALL DO AND YOUR TEAM.
MS. RENTERÍA. SINCE WE'RE ADDING ON, I JUST WANTED TO ALSO ADD, YOU KNOW, IN HEARING THIS AND WHAT KATIE JUST SAID WAS THAT IT'S SO TRUE WHEN WE THINK ABOUT LIKE WHAT, YOU KNOW, AS A PARENT, WHAT WE WANT AND WHAT WE DON'T WANT, RIGHT? BUT I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I APPRECIATED, AND I MEANT TO MENTION THIS WAS LIKE WHEN YOU GUYS DID THE DYSLEXIA SIMULATIONS AND YOU DID THEM IN SPANISH, AND SO THAT WAS GREAT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN ACTUALLY GO IN THERE, AND I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY BE THERE AND SIT THERE, AND IT IS WONDERFUL.
I THINK EVERYBODY I RECOMMEND EVERYBODY TO GO IN AND JUST TO KIND OF TO GET A FEEL FOR IT, RIGHT, TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU CAN JUST DO THAT SIMULATION, BUT I THINK ANOTHER POINT IN WHAT THEY WERE SAYING HERE IN THE RELATIONSHIP ABOUT WHAT PARENTS WANT AND HOW THEY I THINK FOR I KNOW, I THINK FOR SOME PARENTS, LIKE WHAT I WAS TOLD IS THAT AND WHAT I'VE SEEN IS THAT MANY CHILDREN CAN HIDE SOMETHING LIKE THEY CAN THEY REALLY I MEAN, THEY GO THROUGH THE YEARS IN ELEMENTARY AND THEY CAN COPE.
YOU KNOW, SHE'S, YOU KNOW, BUT IT'S ALMOST LIKE FOR PARENTS.
I SAY TRUST THAT GUT FEELING, YOU KNOW, AND ALSO TRUST THE PROFESSIONALS THAT ARE THERE THAT ARE TELLING YOU, AND THEY'RE SEEING IT EVERY DAY, BUT I THINK IT MAKES SUCH A DIFFERENCE WHEN IN ELEMENTARY, THEY CAN JUST HIDE IT.
THEN YOU HIT JUNIOR HIGH, RIGHT, AND THEN YOU HIT HIGH SCHOOL, AND THEN THAT'S WHERE IT GETS REALLY HARD, AND I THINK FOR A LOT OF PARENTS, I THINK SOMETIMES I'VE TALKED TO PARENTS THAT FEEL LIKE, WELL, HE DIDN'T HAVE THIS WHEN HE WAS IN ELEMENTARY OR HE DIDN'T GET IT.
LIKE ALMOST LIKE THE IDENTIFICATION HAS TO BE DONE EARLY.
SOMETIMES IT HAPPENS IN JUNIOR HIGH, RIGHT?
[02:05:02]
SOMETIMES IT HAPPENS IN HIGH SCHOOL, AND SO I THINK THAT LETTING PARENTS KNOW ALSO ON THOSE DIFFERENT LEVELS, HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO HAVE THAT RELATIONSHIP AND THAT COLLABORATION RIGHT, IS SO APPRECIATED.THE BOARD, OR MS. RENTERÍA, I THINK IN A PREVIOUS PRESENTATION YOU ASKED ABOUT AN UPDATE ON PRE-K OR MAY HAVE BEEN.
I CAN'T REMEMBER. MAY HAVE BEEN MS. MCGOWAN. ANYWAYS, I THINK ONE OF THE OUTCOMES OF OUR PRE-K PROGRAMMING AND WHAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE TO ALLOW US TO EXPAND PRE-K THREE AND PRE-K FOUR, IS THAT ASPECT OF CHILD FIND AND IT'S PROBABLY SOMETHING WE CAN'T REALLY NECESSARILY QUANTIFY BECAUSE I CAN'T SAY, WELL, BECAUSE WE'VE ADDED PRE-K THREES AND FOURS.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY THIS MANY.
I CAN'T NECESSARILY QUANTIFY, BUT I THINK ANECDOTALLY WE WOULD ALL SAY BECAUSE OF THAT, WE ARE BEING ABLE TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS EARLIER, GETTING THEM IN THE RIGHT PROGRAMMING EARLIER, GETTING THEM TO THAT LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT SOONER BECAUSE WE'RE ABLE TO ADDRESS THAT UNDERLYING DISABILITY MUCH EARLIER IN THE PROCESS.
I THINK SOMETIMES ONE PARTICULAR NEED TAKES IT BECOMES LIKE A, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS IT A CATCH? OH, YES. IT'S THIS, IT'S THAT OR YOU KNOW, BUT THAT THERE'S JUST SO MANY OTHER DIFFERENT THINGS AND THAT YOU GUYS ARE MEETING THE NEEDS OF EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE, THOSE THAT ARE KNOWN AND POPULAR OVER HERE AND THOSE THAT WE DON'T.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THAT.
REAL QUICK COMMENT I DO ON YOUR KEY TAKEAWAYS.
I'D RECOMMEND PUTTING SOME OF THE CELEBRATIONS IN THERE.
SO BECAUSE THERE WERE A LOT OF CHALLENGES, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF CELEBRATIONS THERE, AND SO ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE IS ALWAYS A GOOD PRACTICE, AND I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF HIGH NOTES TO HIT HERE AND THEN THE LAST THING I'LL SAY IS I, SOMEBODY KEPT MENTIONING THE TERM HARD WORK.
IT'S HARD WORK, IT'S HARD WORK, AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S MY HEARING BECAUSE I'VE GOT TERRIBLE HEARING, BUT I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT IF I WAS HEARING HARD WORK OR HEART WORK, AND SO I KEPT GOING BACK AND FORTH AND I'M LIKE, YOU KNOW WHAT? BOTH OF THESE THINGS, THEY'RE PROBABLY BOTH.
RIGHT, AND SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY HARD WORK EQUALS HARD WORK EQUALS HARD WORK.
SO THAT KIND OF I SAT HERE THINKING, WHAT AM I HEARING BUT IT ALL MADE SENSE.
NO MATTER WHICH DIRECTION I WENT.
SO ANYWAY, SO I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING.
YOU ALL DID APPRECIATE THE TEAM.
YOU ALL ARE DOING GREAT THINGS AND THANKS FOR THE DEEP DIVE INTO IT AND HELPING US UNDERSTAND.
SO WITH THAT, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A QUICK TEN MINUTE RECESS SO EVERYBODY CAN GET A BREAK.
SO WE'LL SAY AT AT 8:20 WE'LL BE BACK.
WE'RE GOING TO GET STARTED NOW AT 8:20 ON THE DOT.
SO OUR NEXT ITEM IS AN INFORMATION ITEM TO REVIEW THE SUMMER CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.
[III.B. Update on Summer Construction Projects]
MS. BRANUM.THIS FACILITIES TEAM WAS HARD AT WORK, AND SO I'VE ASKED MS. HAYES, MR. WATSON, AND MS. ESTES TO COME FORWARD TONIGHT AND JUST PROVIDE THE COMMUNITY WITH AN UPDATE, AND I WANT TO FIRST AND FOREMOST, THANK OUR COMMUNITY FOR THEIR SUPPORT OF BOND 2021, BECAUSE WITHOUT THEIR SUPPORT, NONE OF THESE THINGS WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE.
SO THANK YOU COMMUNITY. TAKE IT AWAY TEAM.
THANK YOU, SUPERINTENDENT BRANUM.
I JUST A COUPLE CLARIFICATIONS.
SOME OF THESE SUMMER PROJECTS ARE NOT BOND FUNDED.
THEY WERE JUST A RESULT OF WHAT WE NEEDED TO DO FOR PRS.
WE WILL DO A ANOTHER UPDATE IN THE FALL THAT'S STRICTLY ABOUT OUR BOND FUNDS AND WHAT'S HAPPENED.
SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MRS. ESTES AND MR. WATSON.
GOOD EVENING, BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT.
SO, SUMMER, WE ARE ON THE TAIL END OF A VERY BUSY SUMMER.
SUMMERS ARE USUALLY VERY BUSY FOR US ANYWAY, THIS SUMMER IN PARTICULAR.
EVERYTHING YOU SEE IN YELLOW IS GOING TO BE A CAMPUS THAT EITHER HAD A FLOORING PROJECT, A PAINTING PROJECT, A MINOR RENOVATION, AND WE CAN'T FORGET OUR MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS THAT ARE MULTI-YEAR, MULTI-PHASED PROJECTS THAT ARE IN THE RED STAR THERE, AND, YOU KNOW, SUMMER IS A TIME THAT A LOT OF OUR STAFF, THEY TAKE A BREAK, THE WELL-DESERVED BREAK THAT THE EDUCATORS TAKE.
SO 11 WEEKS IS NOT A LONG TIME, AND I'LL GO THROUGH A COUPLE OF THE HIGHLIGHTED PROJECTS HERE.
ONE OF THE PROJECTS WE DID WAS RICHLAND.
[02:10:05]
THAT WAS REQUESTED.SPRING VALLEY ELEMENTARY, WE ADDED SOME ADDITIONAL PARKING SPACES THERE.
GREENWOOD HILLS ELEMENTARY WE ADDED 53 ADDITIONAL PARKING SPACES, WHICH ALSO INCLUDED RESTRIPING OF THE ENTIRE SITE, ADDITIONAL CONCRETE AND PAVING, AND ALSO RESTRIPING OUR FIRE LANE.
CANYON CREEK WAS ALSO A PARKING ADDITION.
ON THE EXTERIOR, WE ADDED ABOUT 17 ADDITIONAL SPOTS.
WE WORKED SOME OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE ON THE SITE AND ALSO REWORKED SOME OF THE HANDICAPPED PARKING.
CANYON CREEK ALSO GOT A LITTLE BIT OF AN INTERIOR REFRESH WHERE WE WERE JUST BECOMING MORE EFFICIENT WITH OUR CLASSROOMS. SO SOME MORE ADDITIONAL MILLWORK FOR THE ART CLASSROOM AND SOME NEW FLOORING.
AT NORTHLAKE ELEMENTARY WE ALSO DID A SITE DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT BACK THERE.
THE SITE WOULD GET REALLY MUDDY AND SOUPY, SO WE ADDED SOME ADDITIONAL AREA DRAINS AND SOME ADDITIONAL SOD TO MAKE SURE THAT THE DRAINAGE WAS WELL ESTABLISHED BACK THERE, AS WELL AS NEW PAVING AND SIDEWALK.
WE ALSO PAINTED THE EXISTING HOLLOW METAL FRAMES OF THE DOORS.
THIS WAS A BEFORE PHOTO OF THE AUDITORIUM.
WE DID A COMPLETE AUDITORIUM REFRESH THAT INCLUDED.
YEAH, THAT INCLUDED NEW FLOORING, NEW PAINT, AND NEW SEATS.
LET ME SHOW YOU THE AFTER PHOTO.
THE AFTER PHOTO? YEAH. THURGOOD MARSHALL, AS A RESULT OF PROJECT RIGHTSIZE, WE HAD A DIFFERENT OCCUPANCY THERE FOR THE TOILETS. SO WE NEEDED TO RAISE ALL THE TOILETS.
THAT CAUSED SOME PRETTY EXTENSIVE TILE WORK AS WELL.
SO THIS WAS THE BEFORE PHOTO AND THIS IS THE AFTER PHOTO.
THE WHOLE BACK WALL GOT NEW PHOTO.
WE RAISED ALL THE FIXTURES TO BE COMPLIANT HEIGHT AND WE REUSED THE PARTITIONS.
APOLOGIES. WE REPLACED THE CHILLER, AND AT THE PDC, WE UPGRADED THE COOLER, THE COOLING TOWER.
ALSO THIS SUMMER WE HAD A MULTI-CAMPUS ACCESS CONTROL PHASE TWO PROJECT WHERE THE GOAL OF THE PROJECT WAS TO ENSURE EVERY SINGLE ELEMENTARY HAD A SECURE VESTIBULE THAT INCLUDED CHANGES FOR DOOR HARDWARE, ADDING CARD READERS ON DOORS THAT NEVER HAD THEM BEFORE, MODIFYING SOME STOREFRONT.
WE HAD TO MODIFY SOME MILLWORK AS A RESULT AS WELL.
SO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE PINK DOTS IS A CAMPUS THAT NOW HAS A SECURE VESTIBULE.
I WANT TO CLARIFY ONE THING ON THAT ACCESS CONTROL.
WE WE'VE HAD SECURE VESTIBULES AT ALL OF OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
SO YOU HAD TO BADGE IN TO GET IN THE OFFICE HAD TO LET YOU INTO THE FRONT OFFICE, BUT FROM THERE, IF SOMEONE WASN'T WATCHING, YOU COULD HAVE EXITED OUT THE BACK DOOR OF THE OFFICE, AND SO WE JUST FINISHED SECURING THOSE.
SO THE ACTUAL SECURE VESTIBULES WERE ALREADY IN PLACE.
RIGHT. SO IT'S REALLY THE ADMINISTRATION SUITE IS NOW SECURE.
WE ALSO TOUCHED MANY CAMPUSES FOR NEW FLOORING UPGRADES.
JUST TO REFRESH THE SPACE AND MAKE IT LOOK MORE MODERN.
THIS IS THE LAST SLIDE AND THE ONLY ONE MS. ESTES WOULD LET ME TALK ABOUT, SO I APPRECIATE IT.
SO IF YOU SEE 2022-2023, WE'VE PROVIDED TOTALS OF WHAT WE CALL FURNITURE RELATED WORK ORDERS, EVERYTHING FURNITURE RELATED OVER THE YEARS. WELL, IF YOU NOTICE 2024, THAT NUMBER SHOT UP SIGNIFICANTLY WITH WITH THE TOTAL OF 739 OVER A SHORT PERIOD OF JULY 8TH TO AUGUST 8TH OR I'M SORRY, MAY 20TH THROUGH AUGUST 8TH.
SO WHAT THAT REALLY IS JUST TRYING TO REPRESENT IS ALL OF THE MOVES RELATED TO CLOSING DOWN, YOU KNOW, OUR GREENWOOD HILLS, SPRING VALLE, THURGOOD AND THOSE SITES, AS WELL AS ALL OF OUR SIXTH GRADE MOVES UP TO MIDDLE SCHOOL AND THE LAKE HIGHLANDS COMMUNITY AND EVERYTHING OF THAT NATURE.
[02:15:03]
SO IF YOU RECALL, WE BROUGHT TO THE BOARD SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE SUMMER SOME REQUESTS TO FUND MOVE SERVICES FOR ALL OF OUR PRS RELATED MOVES.SO A LOT OF THIS WORK HERE THAT YOU SEE, THE REASON WE WERE ABLE TO GET SO MANY WORK ORDERS DONE, SO MUCH WORK DONE THIS SUMMER WAS NOT JUST BECAUSE OF OUR INTERNAL STAFF. OBVIOUSLY, IT WAS ALL OF THE CONTRACT SERVICES WE BROUGHT IN TO HELP SUPPORT THOSE MOVES, AND THAT'S WHAT HELPED US YIELD, YOU KNOW, 700 AND NEARLY 40 WORK RELATED REQUESTS.
SO JUST JUST REALLY ILLUSTRATING A LOT OF MOVEMENT, AGAIN, ABOVE AND BEYOND, SEPARATE AND ASIDE FROM ALL OF THE CONSTRUCTION WORK THAT MS. ESTES JUST WENT OVER.
SO WE KIND OF WANTED TO SHARE THAT WITH THE BOARD AS WELL AND TO SHOW WHERE THOSE DOLLARS WENT.
NOT GRAPHICALLY, BUT JUST, YOU KNOW, IN A NARRATIVE, AND AGAIN, BACK TO HER VERY FIRST SLIDE.
WE ARE NOT SHOWING TONIGHT AND DISCUSSING TONIGHT THE WHAT WE CALL THE MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS THAT WILL COME LATER IN A SUBSEQUENT BOARD MEETING, BUT THOSE ACTIVITIES OBVIOUSLY WERE STILL ONGOING, FULL FORCE FINISHING UP THOSE MIDDLE SCHOOLS, FINISHING UP THE PIERCE HIGH SCHOOL, ALL OF THAT STILL WAS GOING ON IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE'RE SHOWING TONIGHT.
SO THIS WAS JUST REALLY SHOWING YOU THE NON-MAJORS WE'RE CALLING IT WORK.
SO JUST HATS OFF TO MS. ESTES AND HER TEAM.
THE ENTIRE FACILITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING OUR WAREHOUSE AND DISTRIBUTION FOLKS.
REALLY EVERYONE, DON'T WANT TO EXCLUDE ANYONE WITH ALL OF THE EFFORT THAT WENT INTO WHAT THEY HAD TO TURN OVER AND MODIFY AND MANAGE THIS SUMMER. SO GREAT WORK TO THEM.
PROBABLY A HISTORIC SUMMER IN TERMS OF EFFORT AND WORKLOAD.
SO WE'D BE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.
ALL RIGHT. THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION.
YES. TRUSTEES, QUESTIONS? MS. HARRIS. I JUST HAVE JUST ONE REAL QUICK QUESTION.
IS THAT CONSIDERED A LARGE PROJECT OR IS THAT PART OF THIS OR ARE WE DONE OR.
OKAY. IT'S REALLY NOT CONSIDERED A LARGE PROJECT.
WE'VE ALWAYS NEEDED A SECURE VESTIBULE DOWNSTAIRS FOR THIS ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, AND SO AS WE'VE BEEN DOING PARTS AND PIECES, HAVING TO REDO SOME FLOORING AS THE FLOOR STARTS COLLAPSING AND THINGS IN A 110 YEAR OLD BUILDING, WE TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO AHEAD AND MAKE THAT A SECURE VESTIBULE SO IT IS FINISHED.
EXCEPT THEIR RECEPTION DESK CAME IN TOO TALL.
THEY SENT US THE WRONG ONE, SO THE CORRECT ONE IS COMING IN.
MOST PEOPLE JUST WALKED RIGHT BY IT, BUT FOR SOME OF US, IT WAS AN EYESORE.
THANKS FOR THAT. YEAH, I CAME IN AND I THOUGHT, WOW, THIS THING IS TALLER THAN ME.
IT'S LIKE I CAN'T EVEN SEE OVER THE THING.
[LAUGHTER] EXACTLY. IF I MAY, I THINK THAT I WAS HERE, RIGHT, MR. HALL? WE CAME IN, AND HE WAS JUST LAUGHING SO HARD AND MAKING FUN OF ME BECAUSE I WAS AT THAT COUNTER, AND HE SEES ME FROM AFAR, AND I HEAR SOMEONE LAUGHING LOUD BECAUSE I'M ON MY TOES AND I'M TRYING TO SEE, AND I'M LIKE, OOH, IS THIS HOW IT'S GOING TO WORK AND HE JUST KEPT LAUGHING.
YEAH, YEAH, BUT OBVIOUSLY FOR SOMEONE LIKE MS. TIMME, IT WAS GREAT, RIGHT? [CHUCKLING] PERFECT.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? YES, MS. PACHECO.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE UPDATE.
WE ARE LISTING ALL THESE SCHOOLS WITH UPDATES.
DOES THAT MEAN ALL OUR SCHOOLS NOW HAVE, LIKE, NEW FLOORING? NO? OH, OKAY.
YES. ALL OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
ALL OF OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS HAVE THE NEW FLOORING WITH OBVIOUSLY THE LAST TWO, THE THREE THAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW, HAMILTON PARK, STULTS AND NORTHRIDGE ARE GETTING IT AS PART OF THEIR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, BUT WE HAVE DONE ALL THE OTHER ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
OKAY. SO OUTSIDE OF THE MAJOR CONSTRUCTION THAT WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS AT A LATER TIME, ALL THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ARE COMPLETE, AND FOR THESE SECURE VESTIBULES, DOES THAT MAKE ALL OUR SCHOOLS THE SAME? NOW, AS FAR AS THIS TYPE OF ENTRANCE, IT MAKES ALL THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THE SAME.
OKAY, PERFECT. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
[02:20:03]
ANYONE ELSE? NOPE. ALL RIGHT.MR. WATSON, MS. ESTES, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUICK PRESENTATION.
[III.C. Review and Discussion of Legislative Priorities]
OUR NEXT ITEM IS AN INFORMATION ITEM TO REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES THIS YEAR, MS. BRANUM.GOOD EVENING. BOARD THAT WORKS.
I WILL BE BRIEF AND LET YOU KNOW THAT IN CASE YOU WERE, WHO KNOWS WHERE YOU WERE? WE'RE HAVING AN ELECTION IN NOVEMBER, AND THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION WILL START IN JANUARY.
THERE IS A LEGISLATIVE SUBCOMMITTEE THAT WE AND WE HAVE MET AT ONE TIME AND TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE NEEDS AND THE THINGS THAT WE SEE RIGHT NOW, AND WE ARE WORKING ON A REALLY ROUGH DRAFT OF EDUCATION PRIORITIES THAT WE'RE COMPARING WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO SEE. BY THE WAY, WE ALL SEEM TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE THAT FUNDING IS GOING TO PROBABLY BE OUR TOP PRIORITY.
SOME DISTRICTS I KNOW THAT WILL BE THEIR ONLY PRIORITY.
SO WHAT YOU SEE UP ON THE SCREEN THERE IS THE CALENDAR OF EVENTS AND THE WAY WE'RE GOING TO GO ABOUT DOING THIS TO FINISH TO BE COMPLETE BY NOVEMBER 1ST, AT WHICH TIME WE'LL, YOU KNOW, INTRODUCE IT TO THE COMMUNITY, ALTHOUGH I KNOW THERE WILL BE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT KIND OF INPUT FROM YOU ALL AND POTENTIALLY PEOPLE WHO ATTEND BOARD MEETINGS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO THAT'S PRETTY MUCH THE EXTENT OF IT.
WE'RE WORKING ON IT. IT'S IMPORTANT IT'S GOING TO COME.
WELCOME TO SEPTEMBER WHICH WILL BE BIG CAMPAIGN.
YOUR PHONES WILL RING OFF THE WALL.
DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THE LEGISLATIVE PATH FORWARD? OKAY, WE'LL HAVE A LOT MORE DETAILS SOON ON THAT.
I KNOW, SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THAT.
[III.D. Review and Discussion of Board Policies]
WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO OUR NEXT ITEM IS AN INFORMATION ITEM TO REVIEW THE FOLLOWING POLICIES EIC(LOCAL) ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, CLASS RANKING, DBD(LOCAL) EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS CONFLICT OF INTEREST DBE(LOCAL) EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS, NEPOTISM, BBD(LOCAL) BOARD MEMBERS TRAINING AND ORIENTATION AND BBFA(LOCAL) ETHICS CONFLICT OF INTEREST.[CHUCKLING] SHE'S CHANGED A LITTLE BIT.
HELLO, TRUSTEES AND COLLEAGUES.
THE FIRST POLICY IS EIC AND DR.
GIBBONS WILL ALSO JUMP IN IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS.
THE BOARD MADE UPDATES TO IT IN APRIL 2023.
THESE REVISIONS ARE BASED ON A NEW WRINKLE THAT WAS DISCOVERED AFTER THAT CHANGE LAST YEAR.
THE NEW TEXAS FIRST DIPLOMA OPTION FOR STUDENTS THAT ALLOW FOR EARLY GRADUATIONS ALLOWED FOR STUDENTS TO ACTUALLY JUMP INTO THE TOP TEN, AS WELL AS POTENTIALLY VALEDICTORIAN AND SALUTATORIAN HONORS AND AHEAD OF STUDENTS WHO HAD ALREADY BEEN THERE, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO DO THAT IN THE LAST SEMESTER AND OUR COUNSELING DEPARTMENT AND DOING A REVIEW OF OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND LOOKING AT THEIR POLICIES.
THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT THEY ALLOW FOR, AND SO THE PROPOSED POLICY CHANGE THAT YOU'LL SEE ON PAGES THREE AND FOUR WILL JUST PREVENT ANYONE WHO HAS NOT BEEN IN HIGH SCHOOL FOR LESS THAN SEVEN SEMESTERS TO BE RECOGNIZED AS [INAUDIBLE].
VALEDICTORIAN AND SALUTATORIAN OR IN THE TOP TEN.
DR. GIBBONS, WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD ANYTHING? THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. BOARD POLICY DBD.
THIS IS OUR CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY FOR EMPLOYEES, AND THE PURPOSE OF THE REVISIONS IS REALLY TO PROVIDE CLARIFICATIONS ON THE EXPECTATION FOR EMPLOYEES, AND ALSO SERVING AS A REMINDER THAT AS EMPLOYEES, THERE'S A DUTY TO AVOID ACTUAL AND PERCEIVED CONFLICT OF INTEREST BETWEEN SOMEONE'S PERSONAL INTEREST AND THE INTEREST OF THE DISTRICT IN ANY AND ALL FINANCIAL MATTERS, AS WELL AS THE DUTY TO REPORT ANY POTENTIAL CONFLICT TO THEIR IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR, AND THE POLICY LANGUAGE ALSO ADDS THE EXECUTIVE TEAM MEMBER THAT PARTICULAR
[02:25:09]
DEPARTMENT REPORTS TO, SO THAT ANY POTENTIAL CONFLICT CAN BE RESOLVED, AND ALSO OUTLINING THAT AS AN EMPLOYEE, WE CANNOT RECOMMEND THE PURCHASE OF A PRODUCT OR SERVICES FOR ANY OF THOSE SERVICES THAT WE MAY HAVE A PERSONAL FINANCIAL INTEREST IN OR A FAMILY MEMBER HAS A FINANCIAL INTEREST IN, AND THERE IS ALSO DELETION OF LANGUAGE RELATED TO ALL THE PROVISIONS FOR NEPOTISM, AND THAT'S BECAUSE THOSE ARE GOING TO BE MOVED TO BOARD POLICY DBE, WHICH IS THE NEPOTISM [INAUDIBLE].ANY QUESTIONS THERE? ALL RIGHT.
YES, MS. MCGOWAN HAS A QUESTION.
SO DOES THAT MEAN, LIKE, EXAMPLE, IF A TEACHER, THEY OWN A RESTAURANT AND THEY WANT TO DO, LIKE A FUNDRAISER OR SOMETHING AT THE SCHOOL, THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT. THE DISTRICT IS NOT GOING TO SPEND MONEY WITH ONE OF ITS EMPLOYEES TO PROVIDE OR BUY ANY SERVICES OR GOODS.
SO IT WOULD BE LIKE, IF I MAY, IT WOULD BE LIKE AN EMPLOYEE WHO OWNS A RESTAURANT AND THEIR CAMPUS IS USING THAT BUSINESS TO CATER AN EVENT AS BECAUSE THEY ARE THE DIRECT RECIPIENT OF FUNDS FROM THAT EXCHANGE, IF YOU WILL.
SO WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S A CLEAR BARRIER BETWEEN ANY BUSINESS THAT MIGHT BE CONNECTED TO ME AS AN EMPLOYEE AND ANY FUNDS FROM THE DISTRICT THAT ARE GOING TO THAT BUSINESS, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN AN ENTITY LIKE THE PTA CANNOT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THAT ONE? THE PTA COULD, BUT LET'S ALSO BE CLEAR THAT AS A DISTRICT EMPLOYEE, THE DISTRICT EMPLOYEE SHOULD NOT BE PUSHING THE PTA TO USE THEIR SERVICE OR A FAMILY MEMBER SERVICES BECAUSE THEY HAVE A CONFLICT.
RIGHT. SO THIS IS PART OF THE DUTIES UNDER THIS POLICY.
ALL RIGHT, AND DBE IS JUST TAKING THAT LANGUAGE THAT WAS IN THE OTHER POLICY AND PUTTING IT IN THE STANDALONE LOCAL, AND THERE'S ALREADY A DBE LEGAL, WHICH IS THE NEPOTISM POLICY.
SO THIS IS JUST ALIGNING THOSE, AND THEN THE NEXT ONE IS BBD WHICH IS ABOUT BOARD MEMBERS TRAINING AND ORIENTATION.
THIS IS ONE OF THOSE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE CHANGES, AND JUST FOR THE BOARD, A REMINDER THAT IN THE DISTRICT, THE PUBLIC INFORMATION COORDINATOR IS ACTUALLY OUR RECORDS MANAGER AND SHE HANDLES ALL OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTS, AND SO THIS PARTICULAR LEGISLATION JUST ALLOWS THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, IF THERE'S A VIOLATION OF THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT THAT IS FOUND, AND THE AG'S OFFICE IS ALLOWED TO REQUIRE THE BOARD TO DO ADDITIONAL PIA TRAINING, AND IF THAT WERE TO HAPPEN, IT JUST CAN'T BE DELEGATED.
ANY QUESTIONS? THEN THE LAST ONE BBFA SIMILAR TO OUR EMPLOYEE CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY THE LANGUAGE HERE IS CLARIFYING AGAIN THE DUTY NOT ONLY COMPLYING WITH THE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW, BUT ALSO AVOIDING ANY POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST IN MATTERS THAT ARE GOING TO COME BEFORE YOU FOR A VOTE, AND BOARD MEMBERS ARE PROHIBITED FROM USING COERCIVE MEANS TO INFLUENCE OTHER BOARD OR DISTRICT DECISIONS WHEN THEY HAVE A PERSONAL INTEREST.
ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MS. MCGOWAN.
SO, THAT BRINGS US TO OUR FINAL ITEM ON THE AGENDA FOR TONIGHT IS FOR OUR BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT
[IV. BOARD TRAINING - TEAM OF EIGHT TRAINING (RESCHEDULED FROM AUGUST 8, 2024)]
BRANUM TO TAKE PART IN A TEAM OF EIGHT TRAINING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THE TEXAS EDUCATION CODE, SECTION 11.159.[02:30:05]
RELATED TO TEAM BUILDING, AND WE WILL NOW ENTER OUR CLOSED SESSION.[V. CLOSED MEETING]
WE'LL GIVE YOU A FEW MINUTES TO FOR EVERYBODY TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK, AND THEN WE'LL START AT HERE AT 8:50.BOARD IS RETURNING TO OPEN SESSION AT 10:39 P.M., HAVING TAKEN NO ACTION WHILE IN CLOSED SESSION.
[VI. RECONVENE]
THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 10:39 P.M..
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.