[00:00:02] GOOD EVENING. WELCOME, AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US WITH THIS SPECIAL BOARD MEETING. [ I. Call to Order] OF DEL VALLE ISD SCHOOL BOARD OF TRUSTEES. I AM PRESIDENT WEGNER AND I CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER AT 6:15 P.M. ON JUNE THE 17TH, 2025. PLEASE LET THE RECORD SHOW THAT A QUORUM IS PRESENT, AND THAT NOTICE OF THIS MEETING WAS POSTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT. AT THIS TIME, WE WILL HAVE OUR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. BOARD, YOU WILL STAND WITH ME. THANK YOU. NEXT UP WE HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT. WE HAVE ONE INDIVIDUAL THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK. [III. Public Comment] FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING, INDIVIDUALS WHO WISH TO PARTICIPATE DURING THE PUBLIC COMMENT SHALL SIGN UP BEFORE THE MEETING BEGINS, AS SPECIFIED IN THE BOARD'S PROCEDURES ON PUBLIC COMMENT, AND SHALL INDICATE THE AGENDA ITEM OR TOPIC ON WHICH THEY WISH TO ADDRESS THE BOARD. AT NO TIME WILL A TRUSTEE RESPOND TO AN INDIVIDUAL ADDRESSING THE BOARD. HOWEVER, ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF MEMBERS ARE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AND PROVIDE ASSISTANCE. ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF MEMBERS MAY APPROACH EACH PUBLIC FORUM SPEAKER AND REPORT BACK TO THE SUPERINTENDENT BOARD, AND INDIVIDUALS COMMENTS TO THE BOARD SHALL NOT EXCEED THREE MINUTES PER MEETING. THE BOARD SECRETARY, ELVIA GUADIAN WILL ALERT YOU AS TO WHEN YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE LEFT, AND WE'LL CALL TIME ONCE YOUR THREE MINUTES HAVE EXPIRED. THE ONLY PERSON SPEAKING FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING IS MISS CRYSTAL ROCHA, AND SHE IS SPEAKING ON BUDGET AND PAY RAISES. PLEASE, MA'AM. GOOD EVENING. CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME? GOOD EVENING. MADAM PRESIDENT, BOARD, SUPERINTENDENT GUTIERREZ, STAFF AND COMMUNITY THAT ARE HERE. I KNOW THAT IT MAY BE A LITTLE TOO LATE TO TALK ABOUT BUDGET, BUT SO IS HOUSE BILL 2. AND FINALLY, THAT WE'VE GOT SOME INFORMATION. EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION, ONE PIECE OF INFORMATION THAT WE KNOW FOR SURE IS THAT HOUSE BILL 2 WAS NOT EQUITABLE. IN GIVING PAY RAISES ACROSS THE BOARD, SO TO SPEAK. AND I'M GOING TO TELL YOU AS A TEACHER THAT IT WAS HARD. SORRY. GOING BACK TO WHEN YOU SIGN IN OR TO STAFF FOR PERSONAL OR OTHER. I'M LIKE, BUT IT'S KIND OF BOTH. BUT I'M ALSO SPEAKING AS A TEACHER BECAUSE I CAN TELL YOU THAT WITHOUT MY TEACHING ASSISTANT, ESPECIALLY MY LIBRARIAN, BECAUSE WE CO-TEACH, SOMETIMES WHEN I GO TO TAKE MY KIDS TO THE LIBRARY, THEY'RE CHOOSING THEIR BOOKS. AND THEN I TEACH IN THE LIBRARY, AND SHE'LL HELP ME SOMETIMES WITH SMALL GROUPS. I WOULD LOVE TO RETAIN HER. BUT WHEN WE'RE NOT EQUITABLE WITH PAY RAISES ACROSS THE BOARD, IT'S TOUGH. AND YOU ALL HAVE A TOUGH DECISION. AND I BELIEVE THAT THIS BUDGET IS GOING TO SHOW THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO TREAT EVERYONE WITH DIGNITY AND BE EQUITABLE WHEN WE DO THE PAY RAISE. BECAUSE YES, I WORRY ABOUT THE MECHANICS. OKAY. BECAUSE IF THE BUSSES BREAK DOWN, WHO'S GOING TO FIX IT? HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET THE KIDS TO SCHOOL? AND IF WHAT WE'RE OFFERING THEM, IS IT EQUITABLE FOR THEM TO MAKE A LIVING. IF YOU HAD THEIR PAY, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET? SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ALWAYS COME BACK TO MAKE AMENDMENTS. AND I GET IT. AND TEACHERS WERE TAKEN CARE OF WITH HOUSE BILL 2, BUT IT DID NOT SUPPORT ANYONE OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM. AND SO THAT'S MY BIGGEST CONCERN THAT IF WE WANT TO STILL BE COMPETITIVE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO LOOK ACROSS THE BOARD. AND AS A TEACHER, I'M GOING TO TELL YOU THAT PEOPLE THAT SUPPORT ME AT OJEDA WAS MY ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL. AND IF HE WAS NOT THERE, HALF OF THE ISSUES WOULD HAVE BECOME EVEN MORE HUGE. AND SO, I DON'T KNOW, AND I DON'T RECALL WHEN THEY HAD A LAST PAY RAISE. AND AGAIN, THIS IS NOT MY ORGANIZATION OR ANYTHING ELSE. LOOKING INTO THAT, ARE WE COMPETITIVE OR ARE WE GOING TO LOSE SOME PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THAT? BECAUSE IT'S EASIER TO STAY CLOSER TO HOME BECAUSE OF PAY. SO LOOKING AT ALL THAT AND LOOKING AT IT AND LOOKING AT YOUR HEARTS BECAUSE I KNOW Y'ALL, Y'ALL FEEL FOR US. BUT LOOKING ACROSS THE BOARD AT EVERYBODY TO BE, HOW CAN WE MAKE IT EQUITABLE FOR EVERYBODY? YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE ARE I'M NOT WILLING TO TAKE OVER MY PAY RAISE. WELL, THINK ABOUT IT. WHO SUPPORTS YOU? ARE YOU WILLING TO BE ABLE TO BALANCE THAT OUT SO THAT [00:05:02] WE CAN GIVE EVERYBODY A LIVABLE WAGE? AND THAT'S WHAT I HAD TO SAY ABOUT THIS. AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S GOOD TO SEE EVERYBODY AFTER A LITTLE SUNTAN, RIGHT? I YIELD MY TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. NEXT UP ON THE AGENDA, WE HAVE A CALL FOR PUBLIC HEARING THAT WOULD BRING MISS DENA EDGAR TO THE PODIUM, [IV. A. Budget and Proposed Tax Rate Hearing for 2025-2026 Dina Edgar, Deputy Superintendent of Administrative Services] PLEASE, MA'AM. TO DISCUSS THE BUDGET AND PROPOSED TAX RATE. GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT WEGNER, DOCTOR GUTIERREZ AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. THIS EVENING, I WILL BE PRESENTING THE PROPOSED BUDGETS BEING RECOMMENDED FOR ADOPTION FOR THE 25/26 SCHOOL YEAR, WHICH WILL INCLUDE THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET, THE CHILD NUTRITION BUDGET AND THE DEBT SERVICE BUDGET. SO THIS FIRST SLIDE CONTAINS ALL THE NECESSARY REQUIREMENTS LEADING UP TO THE ADOPTION OF THE DISTRICT'S BUDGETS. I'M NOT GOING TO READ ALL THESE STEPS TO YOU, BUT I'VE INCLUDED THIS INFORMATION TO LET YOU AND THE COMMUNITY KNOW THAT ALL OF THESE CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. THE PROPOSED GENERAL OPERATING BUDGET INCLUDES ALL THE REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES NECESSARY TO OPERATE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR. THIS BUDGET IS FUNDED THROUGH PROPERTY TAX, STATE AID, AND OTHER LOCAL REVENUES LIKE INTEREST EARNINGS, GATE RECEIPTS, AND RENT AND FEDERAL ALLOCATIONS. OUR PROPOSED GENERAL FUND BUDGET IS $140.6 MILLION, WITH A PROJECTED STUDENT MEMBERSHIP OF 11,931 STUDENTS IN ENROLLMENT. AND THAT REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF A LITTLE MORE THAN 200 STUDENTS. SO THE 25/26 BUDGET HAS BEEN BUILT ON SEVERAL ASSUMPTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS THAT I'VE OUTLINED ON THIS SLIDE. YOU'VE SEEN THE SLIDE SEVERAL TIMES NOW AND WITH SOME MINOR CHANGES. WE'VE TAKEN A VERY CONSERVATIVE APPROACH TO THE AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE ESTIMATE FOR NEXT YEAR, WITH A 1.79% INCREASE OVER ADA. THIS IS OVER CURRENT ADA. THIS IS ONE OF THE LARGEST DRIVERS OF INCREASED STATE AID. SO AS WE SEE RECOVERY IN OUR ATTENDANCE NUMBERS WILL RECEIVE ADDITIONAL STATE AID. TO PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE. EACH 1% INCREASE EQUATES TO APPROXIMATELY $930,000. SO OUR FOCUS ON ATTENDANCE WILL CONTINUE TO BE A PRIORITY. WE HAVE RECEIVED THOSE PRELIMINARY PROPERTY VALUES FROM THE CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT SHOWING GROWTH AT $17.5 BILLION. THIS REPRESENTS A 12% INCREASE OVER THE PRIOR YEAR, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THE DISTRICT IS CAPPED AT A 2.5% GROWTH IN THE STATE FUNDING FORMULAS, SO THIS IS ACHIEVED THROUGH A DECREASE IN THE TAX RATE, WHICH IS CURRENTLY ESTIMATED AT $0.9489 . I'LL ALSO REMIND YOU THAT TAXPAYERS WILL VOTE ON AN ADDITIONAL $40,000 HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION IN NOVEMBER, INCREASING THAT HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION FROM $100,000 TO $140,000. AND THAT'S A RESULT FROM SENATE BILL 4 COMING OUT OF THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION. WE CONTINUE TO BUDGET OUR CHAPTER 313 AGREEMENT WITH TESLA AT $9 MILLION FOR 25/26. WE'LL SEE AN 8.7% INCREASE TO OUR HEALTH CARE PREMIUMS AND A 12.3 INCREASE TO PROPERTY CASUALTY INSURANCE. WE'RE PROPOSING A COMPENSATION PACKAGE TOTALING $4.4 MILLION, WHICH I WILL REVIEW THE NEXT SLIDE. THIS BUDGET DOES INCLUDE $1 MILLION IN NEW POSITIONS TO ADDRESS GROWTH, INCLUDING 12 TEACHING POSITIONS, AND ACADEMIC DEAN AT OJEDA, AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT THE OPPORTUNITY CENTER, AND THE HIRING OF OUR NEW PRINCIPAL FOR HIGH SCHOOL TO BEGINNING IN JANUARY OF 26. AND WE HAVE NEARLY $13 MILLION IN REDUCTION AND BALANCING STRATEGIES TO COMPENSATE FOR THE LOSS OF OUR FEDERAL SCR FUNDS AND THE DECLINING CHAPTER 313 PAYMENT YEAR OVER YEAR. SO, TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT COMPENSATION HOUSE BILL TWO PROVIDES A $5,000 RETENTION ALLOTMENT FOR CLASSROOM TEACHERS WITH FIVE OR MORE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. THAT RANGES FROM 8.2% INCREASE AT YEAR FIVE TO ABOUT A 7% INCREASE AT YEAR 25. $2,500 FOR CLASSROOM TEACHERS WITH 3 OR 4 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, AND THAT'S ABOUT A 4.2% INCREASE. AND THEN WE'RE GETTING $45 PER STUDENTS IN AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE TO ADDRESS COMPENSATION FOR ALL OTHER STAFF NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE RETENTION ALLOTMENT. SO THE DISTRICT IS PROPOSING A $1,500 RETENTION ALLOCATION FOR TEACHERS WITH 0 TO 2 YEARS EXPERIENCE AND NURSES AND LIBRARIANS, AND THAT RANGES BETWEEN A 2.5% TO A 3% INCREASE. WE'LL ADJUST OUR STARTING TEACHERS SCALE BY $400 TO $60,000, AND FINALLY OFFER A 1.5% INCREASE FOR ALL OTHER STAFF. SO WITH ALL OF THESE ELEMENTS INTO CONSIDERATION, WE ARE PROPOSING A TOTAL BUDGET OF $140.6 MILLION. [00:10:02] THIS REPRESENTS A DECREASE OF OVER $5 MILLION OVER THE CURRENT YEAR'S AMENDED BUDGET. SO ON THIS CHART, OUR LEFT COLUMN IS THE AMENDED BUDGET BEFORE THE FINAL AMENDMENT, THE RIGHT COLUMN IS OUR PROPOSED BUDGET. WE'RE FORECASTING REVENUES AGAIN AT AROUND $140 MILLION BETWEEN TAX COLLECTIONS, LOCAL REVENUE, STATE AID AND FEDERAL. AND THEN OUR TOTAL EXPENDITURES ARE BROKEN DOWN BETWEEN PAYROLL AND OPERATIONS. PAYROLL REPRESENTS 89% OF OUR OVERALL EXPENDITURES. AND LOOKING AT THE GENERAL FUND BY FUNCTION, YOU CAN SEE THAT 75% OF OUR BUDGET IS SPENT DIRECTLY ON CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION AND INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT, LIKE GUIDANCE COUNSELORS OR NURSES. THAT'S THE PURPLE AND THE BLUE SECTIONS. THE REMAINING 25% IS DISTRICT OPERATIONS, WHICH INCLUDES TRANSPORTATION, MAINTENANCE, AND ALL THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO KEEP THE DISTRICT RUNNING. OKAY, MOVING ON TO OUR CHILD NUTRITION FUND, WE ARE RECOMMENDING AN OPERATING BUDGET OF $9 MILLION. THIS IS A 1.7% INCREASE OVER THE PRIOR YEAR, AND OUR DEBT SERVICE BUDGET IS $64.4 MILLION TO COVER BOND PAYMENTS IN DECEMBER AND JUNE. OUR ESTIMATED TAX RATE FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS IS $0.6169, COMPARED TO $0.6669 IN THE CURRENT YEAR, AND WE ARE ABLE TO MAINTAIN AN INTEREST IN SINKING OUR DEBT SERVICE TAX RATE OF $0.33, FOR AN OVERALL TAX RATE OF $0.9489. THIS REPRESENTS A FIVE CENT DECREASE, NEARLY $0.05 OVER THE CURRENT YEAR. AND LOOKING AT TOTAL TAX RATE OVER TIME, THIS IS OVER A TEN YEAR PERIOD. THE DISTRICT HAS DECREASED THE TOTAL TAX RATE BY MORE THAN $0.58 SINCE 2015, WHILE PASSING BONDS IN 2019 AND 2022. AND THIS EVENING, WE ARE BRINGING THE RECOMMENDED BUDGETS FOR THE 25/26 FISCAL YEAR FOR THE BOARD FOR CONSIDERATION OF ADOPTION. THEN, COMING BACK IN JULY, WILL RECEIVE OUR CERTIFIED PROPERTY VALUES FROM THE CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT, WHICH WILL ENABLE US TO PREPARE OFFICIAL TAX RATES FOR THE BOARD IN AUGUST. WILL CONDUCT ANOTHER PUBLIC MEETING, PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE TAX RATE ADOPTION IN SEPTEMBER. AND BEFORE I CONCLUDE THE PUBLIC HEARING, I JUST WANTED TO EXTEND APPRECIATION FOR ALL THE HARD WORK EVERYONE HAS PUT INTO THIS VERY CHALLENGING BUDGET YEAR. AND WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. BOARD, ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME? VICE PRESIDENT LEDESMA. WOODY. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT'S HELPED PUT THIS TOGETHER. I KNOW THIS IS A CHALLENGING TIME FOR A LOT OF PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS, SO I APPRECIATE THAT YOU PROVIDED US A BALANCED BUDGET. QUESTION, CLARIFICATION MOSTLY, ON PAGE FIVE, THE COMPENSATION PLAN HB 2 PLUS SLIDE. I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY THAT THE PAY FOR THE TEACHERS IS NOT IN ADDITION TO THE 3%. IT IS WHAT WE'RE PROVIDING. CORRECT. SO THE PREVIOUS PRESENTATION THAT WE HAD IN MAY WAS THE HOUSE BILL 2 WITH THE BASIC ALLOTMENT INCREASE. AND THEN WHEN IT GOT HANDED OVER TO THE SENATE, THEY RIPPED THAT OUT AND PROPOSED THIS, WHICH I WOULD AGREE. I DON'T THINK THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO HANDLE TEACHER INCREASES. BUT IT'S WHAT WE HAVE AND WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE CAN WITH IT. OKAY. SO IT'S NOT GOING TO BE THAT AND A 3%. THIS IS WHAT IT IS. THIS IS IT. THIS IS MORE IN SOME CASES, AND I'M GLAD YOU PUT THAT PERCENTAGE BECAUSE IT WASN'T IN OUR FILE. THEN THE NEXT THING IS ON PAGE TEN WHERE IT HAS THE TABLE. IS THIS ONLY STAFF OR IS THIS FUNCTION FOR MATERIALS, RESOURCES LIKE EVERYTHING, INCLUDING STAFF FOR. EVERY FUNCTION. OKAY. EVERY FUNCTION WITHIN THIS FUNCTION. SO YOU NOTICE THE 140.6. IT'S YEAH, IT'S THE ENTIRE BUDGET. BUT I GROUPED FUNCTIONS TOGETHER. SO THE INSTRUCTION AND THE INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT, THEIR FUNCTIONS GROUPED TOGETHER THAT, YOU KNOW, ARE PART OF GUIDANCE, COUNSELING AND THE THINGS THAT COMPOSE THAT. OKAY. AND THEN I JUST HAVE A COMMENT, IF THAT'S OKAY WITH EVERYONE. I DO APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK. LIKE I SAID, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS. I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT WE DIDN'T OFFER A LIVING WAGE THIS YEAR OR EVEN ATTEMPT TO BRING THAT CONVERSATION, SO NEXT YEAR, I WOULD LIKE THAT TO BE A TOPIC, BECAUSE IT IS GETTING EXPENSIVE AND MAKING, YOU KNOW, $17, $18 AN HOUR IS JUST NOT CUTTING IT IN CENTRAL TEXAS. SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A PICTURE THAT IS A LITTLE BIT HIGHER, BETWEEN $20 TO $21 AN HOUR FOR OUR HOURLY STAFF. THAT'S JUST MY PREFERENCE. AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT OUR COMMUNITY DESERVES, ESPECIALLY OUR WORKING FAMILIES. [00:15:04] YES, MA'AM. WE DO HAVE SOME MORE WORK TO DO. AND I THINK WE'RE GOING TO START EARLY AND WE'RE GOING TO GET THERE. THANK YOU. BOARD, ARE THERE ANY FURTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? NEXT UP ON THE AGENDA WE HAVE THE. TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. SO AT THIS TIME AT 6:31 P.M, I WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND THEN HAVE AN ACTION ITEM FOR CONSIDER AND ACT ON THE BUDGET FOR 25/26. [VII. A. Consider and Act on Budgets for 2025-2026 Dina Edgar, Deputy Superintendent of Administrative Services] YES MA'AM. SO THE THREE BUDGETS THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES ARE REQUIRED TO APPROVE ARE THE GENERAL OPERATING BUDGET, THE CHILD NUTRITION BUDGET, AND THE DEBT SERVICE BUDGET. THE BUDGET FOR EACH FUND IS PREPARED AT THE FUNCTIONAL LEVEL, AND THIS IS LOCATED IN THE LAST PAGE OF YOUR BUDGET BOOK. SO WE ARE RECOMMENDING THE ADOPTION OF THE BUDGET THIS EVENING. THE CONTRACTS OVER $50,000 WILL BE APPROVED AT A LATER DATE, NOT WITHIN THE BUDGET ADOPTION THIS EVENING. SO THAT'S. THE VERY LAST PAGE. OF THE RED BOOK. OH, THE RED FOLDER. RED FOLDER, SORRY. SO I RECOMMEND THE BOARD ADOPTS THE 25/26 BUDGETS FOR GENERAL FUND, DEBT SERVICE FUND AND FOOD SERVICE FUND AS PRESENTED. BOARD, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE BUDGET AS PRESENTED FOR $140,674,461? I MOVE TO APPROVE THE BUDGET AS PRESENTED. SECRETARY GUADIAN MAKES THE MOTION. DO I HAVE A SECOND? TRUSTEE WRIGHT-HAYWOOD. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ONE. TWO. THREE. FOUR. FIVE. SIX. SEVEN. EIGHT. MOTION CARRIES 8-0. DO YOU HAVE A COMMENT? GO AHEAD. AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT . THERE WAS SOME CONCERN ABOUT THE 1% INCREASE FOR STAFF MEMBERS THAT JUST ARRIVED, AND I DO WANT TO ADDRESS THAT THERE WAS A CONVERSATION THAT WAS HAD, AND I APPRECIATE THE FEEDBACK THAT YOU'VE GIVEN TO ME REGARDING THAT. I PERSONALLY AM STILL CONCERNED ABOUT IT, BUT I UNDERSTAND WHY WE DID IT. AND I WANT FOLKS TO KNOW WHEN THEY COME TO DEL VALLE WE ARE HIRING AND WE ARE PAYING AT A COMPETITIVE RATE. AND SO THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY THAT JUST JOINED. I HOPE THAT YOU APPRECIATE THIS 1% OR 1.5% RAISE. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE WORK THAT YOU ALL DO PROVIDE TO US. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE DO APPRECIATE THAT. SECRETARY GUADIAN. I DO WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU. I THINK IT TOOK A LOT OF WORK AND TEAMWORK. WORKING TOGETHER TO BRING US OUT OF A DEFICIT AND TO, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE SHOULD BE VERY PROUD OF ALL OF YOU, THAT WE ARE ADOPTING A BALANCED BUDGET WHEN SO MANY OTHER DISTRICTS ARE NOT. THANK YOU. SURE. AND I JUST WANT TO TAKE TIME TO OF COURSE, THANK THE BUSINESS TEAM FOR GETTING US HERE. BUT I WANT TO THANK THE BOARD FOR THE COMMITMENT TO THE PROCESS. WE MET OVER SEVERAL WORKSHOPS SINCE EARLY IN THE SPRING SEMESTER, THIS LAST SPRING SEMESTER, AND WE KNEW THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE TAKING ON AN IMMENSE CHALLENGE WITH TRYING TO ELIMINATE A $13 MILLION DEFICIT. THIS IS REALLY A HUGE DEAL TO GET TO THIS PLACE WHERE WE HAVE A BALANCED BUDGET. BUT I WANT OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR STAFF TO KNOW THAT THIS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE IF IT WASN'T FOR THE BOARD'S SUPPORT, BECAUSE REALLY TOUGH DECISIONS HAD TO BE MADE. AND MANY DISTRICTS AREN'T GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET HERE. AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY SOME DISTRICTS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET HERE IS BECAUSE IT'S REALLY HARD FOR SEVEN PEOPLE, PLUS A SUPERINTENDENT ADMINISTRATION, TO COME TO AGREEMENT, AND IT'S HARD TO MAKE TOUGH DECISIONS. BUT WE HAD TO PRIORITIZE AND REALLY COME TO THE REALIZATION THAT IF WE DID NOT DO THIS, IT WAS GOING TO BE VERY DIFFICULT IN THE FUTURE TO BUDGET FOR INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS TO BE ABLE TO PAY, COMPENSATE EMPLOYEES COMPETITIVELY. ALTHOUGH WE WOULD LOVE TO DO MORE BEYOND THE 1.5%. YOU KNOW, OUR HANDS WERE TIED AND UNFORTUNATELY, WE'RE STILL NOT FULLY FUNDED, ALTHOUGH I'M THANKFUL FOR WHAT THE STATE HAS PROVIDED. [00:20:02] THERE'S STILL MORE WORK TO BE DONE. AND I ALSO WANT TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT THE END OF TOUGH CONVERSATIONS. THERE WILL LIKELY BE ADDITIONAL CONVERSATIONS THAT HAVE TO HAPPEN NEXT SPRING. ESPECIALLY IF WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO COMPENSATE COMPETITIVELY. AND I JUST WANT TO ALSO THANK THE BOARD FOR SUPPORTING THAT, BECAUSE WE DO COMPENSATE AT EVERY LEVEL VERY COMPETITIVELY, AND THAT ALLOWS US THE OPPORTUNITY TO RETAIN BUT ALSO RECRUIT TOP TALENT. AND FOR THAT I'M REALLY PROUD. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. ANYTHING FURTHER BOARD? [APPLAUSE] YES. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT PUT IN ALL THE HARD WORK. YES. ROUND OF APPLAUSE. DO WE NEED TO DO THE OTHER TWO BUDGETS, OR WAS THAT ALL ENCOMPASSING? NO, THAT ENCOMPASSES ALL. OKAY. THANK YOU. SO THAT CONCLUDES THE SPECIAL MEETING. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.