[I. Call to Order and Determination of a Quorum]
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THIS IS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH OF 2021.
THIS IS THE GARLAND INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES SPECIAL MEETING.
I CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER IS NOW 4:03.
AT THIS TIME, WE WILL HAVE OUR OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR PUBLIC FORUM.
[II. Public Forum]
I DO HAVE ONE CARD REGISTERED TO SPEAK.SO, MS. AMBER BOLLINGER, IF YOU'LL COME FORWARD TO STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR PUBLIC RECORD AND THEN MR. RINGO WILL BE THE TIMER, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES WHEN YOU SEE THE YELLOW LIGHT COME ON, THAT MEAN, YOU HAVE ONE MORE MINUTE.
OK, OK, BOARD, WE'RE READY SO YOU CAN GO RIGHT AHEAD.
OK, MY NAME IS AMBER BOLLINGER AND YOU NEED MY ADDRESS? YEAH, JUST.
SEVEN ZERO ONE ZERO WESTOVER DRIVE ROWLETT.
OK, SO BOTH OF MY DAUGHTERS ARE IN GARLAND ISD AND HAVE BEEN FOR SEVEN YEARS MY YOUNGEST, BOTH OF THEM STARTING IN PRE-K.
I DID NOT REALIZE THAT WE WERE SPEAKING IN THE BEGINNING, BUT I JUST WANT TO ENSURE I HAVE QUESTIONS REGARDING THE THE SPED.
SORRY, I'M MISSING WORD SURVEYS OR THE SAMPLING THAT WAS DONE.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE AND ASK HOW DID YOU ENSURE THAT PARTICIPANTS IN THE SMALL MEETINGS AND QUESTIONNHRES AND SURVEYS WITH I THINK THE GROUP IS CALLED PCG, THE COMPANY THAT WE HIRED TO DO THE SPECIAL EDUCATION AUDITS.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ADDRESS IF HOW DID WE ENSURE THAT THAT AN ACCURATE, UNBIASED, EQUITABLE SAMPLING OF GISD SPED STUDENTS, PARENTS AND STAFF WERE WAS COMPLETED? AND THEN ALSO, HOW ARE WE IMPLEMENTING CHANGES AND UTILIZING THE FEEDBACK THAT WE GOT FROM THE AUDIT TO IMPROVE THE DISTRICT SERVICES FOR ALL SO NOT JUST STUDENTS, BUT ALSO STAFF AND PARENTS? I ALSO WANT TO THANK GISD FOR HIRING THE PCG GROUP AND FOR DOING THIS.
MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER IS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION AND WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH A VERY TUMULTUOUS TIME.
BUT WE ARE AT THE OTHER END OF IT NOW AND I'M EVEN MORE COMMITTED AND MORE LOYAL NOW TO GARLAND ISD BECAUSE OF OUR EXPERIENCES.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU KNOW FOR YOU GUYS DOING THAT.
AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT THE CHANGES, THE FEEDBACK THAT WE GOT FROM THE PCG GROUP THROUGH DOING THIS, THIS SAMPLING IN THIS AUDIT IS HELPFUL AND PRODUCTIVE FOR OUR DISTRICT AND OUR OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR STAFF AT LARGE.
THIS BEING A SPECIAL MEETING AND ON TOPIC, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN BRIEFLY COMMENT TOWARD BACK TO THE SPEAKER? I DON'T I DON'T RECOMMEND COMMENTING BACK, BUT IT IS TIED TO THE AGENDA, SIR.
YEAH, IT IS DEFINITELY TIED TO THE AGENDA.
AND HOPEFULLY THE PRESENTER HEARD THE QUESTIONS AND CAN THINGS CAN BE CLARIFIED DURING THE PRESENTATION.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER CARDS? OK, WE HAVE NO OTHER CARDS, SO THAT ENDS THE PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION.
[III.A. Human Resources Audit Review]
WE'LL GO TO DISCUSSION ITEMS FIRST.ON THE AGENDA IS DISCUSSION ITEM A, WHICH WILL BE THE HUMAN RESOURCES AUDIT REVIEW.
THIS AFTERNOON WE HAVE GREG GIBSON FROM THE GIBSON GROUP HERE TO PRESENT, SO MR. GIBSON WE'LL TURN THE PODIUM OVER TO YOU.
THANK YOU, BOARD PRESIDENT MILLER, DR.
LOPEZ, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TONIGHT TO PRESENT THE RESULTS OF THE HUMAN RESOURCES AUDIT.
SHE WILL BE CO-PRESENTING WITH ME TONIGHT.
I WILL INTRODUCE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PROJECT TEAM WHO ARE NOT HERE TONIGHT IN A FEW MINUTES.
THANK YOU FOR INVITING US TO BE HERE.
WE ARE EXCITED TO BE PRESENTING A SUMMARY OF THE HR INTERNAL AUDIT OF THE HR FUNCTION HUMAN RESOURCES FUNCTION FOR GARLAND ISD.
THIS IS THE FIRST DEPARTMENT WIDE AUDIT WE'VE CONDUCTED AS PART OF THE INTERNAL AUDIT PROGRAM AND SINCE THE PROGRAM'S INCEPTION TWO YEARS AGO.
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IF YOU'LL RECALL, WE DID FOUR SMALLER SCALE AUDITS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROGRAM.THEN WE CONDUCTED WHAT'S CALLED AN INTERNAL AUDIT RISK ASSESSMENT, WHERE WE DID A LOOKED AT ALL OF THE AREAS IN TERMS OF TRYING TO RISK RANK THEM FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEVELOPING AN AUDIT PLAN.
HUMAN RESOURCES WAS ONE OF THE HIGHER RANKED AREAS FOR AUDIT.
HUMAN RESOURCES IS OFTEN RANKED ONE OF THE HIGHER AREAS FOR AUDIT, NOT BECAUSE IT'S A LARGE DEPARTMENT, BUT BECAUSE IT HAS TO DO WITH HUMAN RESOURCES AND HUMAN RESOURCES REPRESENT MORE THAN 80 PERCENT OF A SCHOOL SYSTEM'S EXPENDITURES.
SO IT'S A IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT OPERATION.
WE HAVE 7200 EMPLOYEES, 3600 TEACHERS, AND THE MAGNITUDE AND IMPACT OF AN HR FUNCTION CANNOT BE UNDERSTATED.
THE HR AUDIT WAS RECOMMENDED BY THE INTERNAL AUDIT ADVISORY GROUP, WHO WE REPORT TO, AND IT WAS APPROVED BY THE FULL BOARD.
AND BEFORE WE START, I WANTED TO SEND SOME SPECIAL THANKS OUT TO THOSE WHO FROM GARLAND WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE AUDIT.
DR. SUZANNA RUSSELL, THE CHIEF LEADERSHIP OFFICER, WAS THE PROJECT LIAISON FOR US FOR THIS PROJECT.
AND I UNDERSTAND SHE'S NOT HERE TONIGHT, BUT I WANTED TO EXTEND MY GRATITUDE TO HER FOR BEING THE LIAISON AND THE POINT PERSON FOR ALL COMMUNICATIONS THROUGHOUT THIS PROJECT.
I ALSO WANT TO THANK THANK DR.
GRADYNE BROWN, THE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT FOR HUMAN RESOURCES.
SHE BORE THE BURDEN OF RESPONDING TO THE DATA REQUEST AND AND HELPING ORCHESTRATE OUR SITE WORK, AND THIS WAS ALL GOING ON DURING A PANDEMIC.
AND ALSO DURING SOME MAJOR INTERNAL PROJECT INITIATIVE WHERE WE WERE AUTOMATING OR DIGITIZING PERSONNEL RECORDS, IN ADDITION TO DOING THE REGULAR JOBS OF THE HR STAFF, AS WELL AS DEALING WITH AN OUTSIDE FIRM COMING IN TO CONDUCT AN INTERNAL AUDIT OF THE DEPARTMENT.
SO I REALLY WANTED TO THANK DR.
I ALSO WANT TO THANK THANK SHARON MITCHELL, WHO WAS OUR KEY IN HELPING US STAY FOCUSED AND ORGANIZED DURING OUR SITE WORK.
WE CAME IN, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WE INTERVIEWED A LOT OF PEOPLE.
I THINK WE INTERVIEWED 38 INDIVIDUALS IN ONE WEEK DURING OUR SITE WORK, AND SHARON BASICALLY ORCHESTRATED THE SCHEDULE AND MADE SURE THAT ANY ADJUSTMENTS THAT WERE WERE NEEDED WERE MADE.
AND SO I WANTED TO THANK HER AS WELL.
THE REST OF OUR PROJECT TEAM INCLUDED TWO OTHER INDIVIDUALS.
HE WAS INVOLVED IN ALL FOUR OF THE INITIAL AUDITS THAT WE CONDUCTED.
HE WAS PRIMARILY INVOLVED IN THE TRANSACTION TESTING FOR THIS WORK AND WILL HARDAWAY, WHO WAS PARTICIPATED IN THE SITE, WORK AND THE FOCUS GROUPS AND WAS A KEY ELEMENT IN WRITING THE FINAL REPORT.
WE HAVE A FAIRLY SHORT SLIDE PRESENTATION.
FIRST, I'LL GO THROUGH THE AUDIT OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE FOR YOUR BENEFIT PROVIDE KIND OF A SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE AUDIT RESULTS, AND THEN WE'LL DISCUSS THE MAJOR FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE AUDIT.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT SOME OF THE MAJOR ONES, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE PLENTY OF TIME AFTERWARDS FOR QUESTIONS IF ANY OF THE BOARD MEMBERS WOULD LIKE TO ASK ANY.
THERE ARE TWO PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF THE AUDIT, ONE WAS TO EVALUATE THE COMPLIANCE, EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE GISD HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT, FOR A DEPARTMENT WIDE AUDIT SUCH AS THIS.
THIS WILL BE A SIMILAR OBJECTIVE AND WE LOOK AT INTERNAL CONTROLS.
WE LOOK AT OPERATING PROCEDURES.
WE LOOK AT INFORMATION SYSTEMS. WE LOOK AT JOB DESCRIPTIONS.
BUT ALL IS DONE IN THE CONTEXT OF EVALUATING FOR COMPLIANCE, EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE OF THE DEPARTMENT.
THE SECOND OBJECTIVE IS TO IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT.
BY DEFINITION, INTERNAL AUDIT IS A CONSULTING ACTIVITY, AND WHILE IT FOCUSES ON CONTROLS AND SPENDING, IT ALSO SERVES TO MAKE SUGGESTIONS TO HELP SCHOOL SYSTEMS GET BETTER AT WHAT THEY DO.
AND SO THAT WAS THE SECOND OBJECTIVE WAS TO MAKE SUCH RECOMMENDATIONS.
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THERE WERE FOUR MAJOR DOMAINS IN OUR AUDIT SCOPE, ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT, STAFFING, COMPENSATION AND EMPLOYEE RELATIONS.AND SO IN THESE NEXT FEW SLIDES, YOU'LL SEE QUESTIONS AND THESE QUESTIONS WERE FRAMED IN OUR PROPOSAL COST PROPOSAL TO YOU WHEN THIS AUDIT WAS SELECTED AND APPROVED.
AND I WON'T GO THROUGH EACH OF THESE.
BUT THESE ARE EXAMPLES OF THE QUESTIONS THAT THAT WERE ASKED THAT WE WANTED TO ANSWER.
IS THE HR DEPARTMENT ORGANIZED WELL IN A LOGICAL MANNER.
DOES IT SUPPORT ACCOUNTABILITY? ARE BUSINESS PROCESS IS EFFICIENT? DO WE HAVE METRICS THAT HELP US DETERMINE THE EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE DEPARTMENT? ARE PERSONNEL RECORD SAFE AND SECURE? AND SO THESE ELEMENTS, AS WELL AS OTHERS, WERE COVERED IN THE ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT SECTION.
STAFFING DO CURRENT PRACTICES? THIS STAFFING REALLY TALKS ABOUT HOW WE IDENTIFY POSITIONS, HOW WE FILL THOSE POSITIONS AND CYCLE THEM THROUGH TO THE ONBOARDING THROUGH THE ONBOARDING PROCESS.
AND SO THIS IS A MAJOR INITIATIVE IN ANY SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND SO WE LOOK AT THESE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PRACTICES AND TIMELINES ON NOT HOW WE JUST HOW EFFICIENT WE ARE IN THE PROCESS.
BUT DO WE DO A GOOD JOB OF HIRING HIGH QUALITY PEOPLE, DIVERSE BRINGING DIVERSE CANDIDATES AND HIRES INTO THE INTO OUR STAFFING PROGRAM? AND DO WE END UP WITH A HIGHLY QUALIFIED WORKFORCE? IS THE RECRUITMENT STRATEGY LINKED TO WORKFORCE AND SUCCESSION PLANNING? DO OUR INFORMATION SYSTEMS, SUPPORT THESE PROCESSES IN A WAY WHERE WE'RE NOT DUPLICATING EFFORT OR USING EXCESSIVE MANUAL PROCEDURES? AND AN EXAMPLE IS DO WE HAVE AN ONLINE APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM, WHICH WE DO.
SO THESE ARE QUESTIONS RELATED TO STAFFING.
COMPENSATION IS OBVIOUSLY A VERY IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES.
WE LOOK AT THE SALARY STRUCTURES THAT YOU HAVE AND WE ACTUALLY COMPARE YOURS TO OTHER DISTRICTS AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU STAY COMPETITIVE IN YOUR PAY LEVELS, PARTICULARLY FOR TEACHERS, BUT FOR OTHER POSITIONS.
AND WE KNOW THAT YOU PERIODICALLY BRING THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BOARDS IN TO HELP YOU EVALUATE YOUR MARKET COMPARISONS AND SALARY LEVELS IN THE DISTRICT, WHICH IS A GOOD THING.
WE ALSO LOOK FOR FINANCIAL INCENTIVES.
WHAT WHAT IS YOUR STIPEND PROGRAM LOOK LIKE? DO YOU HAVE OTHER FINANCIAL INCENTIVES FOR HIGH PERFORMING TEACHERS TO TAKE ON ADDITIONAL ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES? SALARY COMPRESSION AS A TERM, WE'LL TALK ABOUT TONIGHT SALARY COMPRESSION, AND ITS SIMPLEST TERM IS PAY INEQUITY, PAY INEQUITY THAT WHERE THERE'S AN IMBALANCE BETWEEN THE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND THE PAY LEVEL PRESCRIBED FOR THAT YEARS, THOSE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.
AND SO WE WILL TALK ABOUT SALARY COMPRESSION AND THOSE PAY EQUITIES LATER IN THIS PRESENTATION.
EMPLOYEE RELATIONS IS A FUNCTION THAT INVOLVES MANY ASPECTS FROM THE EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK TO EMPLOYEE COMPLAINTS AND GRIEVANCES, TO MEASURING EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION AND MORALE.
AND THERE'S ALSO GARLAND ISD HAS AN INVESTIGATIONS UNIT IN THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT THAT FALLS UNDER THE REALLY UNDER THE FUNCTION OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS, AS WELL AS MANAGING THE DISTRICT'S HOTLINE.
WE WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE IN THE REPORT THAT GARLAND HAS MADE SOME SOME GAINS IN DIVERSIFYING ITS TEACHER WORKFORCE OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
MANY SCHOOL SYSTEMS STRUGGLED TO DO THIS.
GARLAND ISD WORKS VERY HARD TO DO THIS, AND IT HAS BEEN EVIDENCE THROUGH INCREASING PERCENTAGES OF CERTAIN ETHNIC GROUPS TO BE MORE CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH OUR STUDENT POPULATION DEMOGRAPHICS.
AND SO WE JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THOSE EFFORTS.
WE ALSO HAVE A RECOMMENDATION IN OUR REPORT THAT WE THINK THAT WE'LL DISCUSS TONIGHT THAT WE THINK WILL HELP YOU EVEN GO FURTHER AND HELPING DIVERSIFY YOUR WORKFORCE.
BUT WE WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR EFFORTS TO DATE.
THERE ARE 16 RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE REPORT.
THIS IS A BREAKDOWN BY THE DIFFERENT BY THE FOUR DOMAINS.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE BOARD TO KNOW THAT THE ADMINISTRATION PROVIDED RESPONSES TO EACH OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS AS THEY WILL IN ALL REPORTS, AND THEY FULLY AGREED WITH 15 OF THE 16 RECOMMENDATIONS AND PARTIALLY AGREED WITH THE 16TH RECOMMENDATION.
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OVERALL, THE WE THINK THERE WERE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WERE AFFECTING ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE HR DEPARTMENT, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THESE IN MORE DETAIL IN A MINUTE.BUT THE CURRENT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, THE LACK OF KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS, OUTDATED JOB DESCRIPTIONS.
WE BELIEVE THE COMBINATION OF THESE THINGS WAS INHIBITING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR SOME OF THE MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT.
THE KPIS, THE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS.
WE NOTED THIS IN OUR RISK ASSESSMENT LAST YEAR WHEN WE CONDUCTED THIS, THAT THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS NOT UNIQUE TO HUMAN RESOURCES, THAT IT WAS SOMETHING COMMON TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
AND SO WE'RE NOT SURPRISED THAT THIS IS A FINDING IN THIS PARTICULAR AUDIT.
WE HOPE THAT THIS WILL BE A CATALYST FOR DEVELOPING KPIS FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS SO THAT WHEN WE GO AND CONDUCT THOSE FUTURE AUDITS OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS THAT THEY'VE ALREADY DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED THOSE KPIS, OR AT LEAST IN PROCESS OF DOING SO.
AND WE THINK THAT THAT WILL REALLY HELP NOT ONLY IMPROVE ACCOUNTABILITY BUT IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THOSE AREAS.
SECOND, THE TIME TO HIRE WE MEASURED AS PART OF THE ORDER AT THE TIME BETWEEN THE BEGINNING OF THE RECRUITING PROCESS AND THE TIME WE ACTUALLY GET SOMEONE ON ON BOARD WHEN YOU STRETCH OUT THAT PROCESS.
IT SOMETIMES RUN THE RISK OF LOSING CANDIDATES AND THAT APPEARS TO HAVE HAPPENED IN SOME CASES AT GARLAND ISD.
THERE ARE THERE ARE PROCESS REASONS THAT WE IDENTIFIED DURING THE AUDIT THAT EXPLAIN WHY THAT HAPPENED, BUT THE TIME TO HIRE LAGS.
THE TIME TO HIRE NUMBER OF DAYS LAGS THE INDUSTRY STANDARDS, AND YOU REALLY WANT TO BE BETTER THAN INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND GET YOUR OFFERS OUT EARLIER, GET YOUR ACCEPTANCES OUT.
GET YOUR ACCEPTANCE LETTERS DONE MORE QUICKLY SO THAT YOU CAN BE ASSURED THAT YOU'RE GETTING THE FIRST CUT OF THE CANDIDATES THAT YOU WANT TO HAVE.
THE THIRD MAJOR ELEMENT IN THE REPORT IS PAY INEQUITIES, SALARY COMPRESSION THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER, AND I DESCRIBED THE SALARY INEQUITY PORTION WHERE THERE WAS AN IMBALANCE BETWEEN THE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WHICH WOULD IN YOUR SALARY STRUCTURE, YEARS OF EXPERIENCE DICTATES HIGHER PAY AND YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THAT POSITION.
AND WE FOUND IMBALANCES IN SOME OF THAT THAT ELAINE WILL GO THROUGH.
BUT THAT'S THAT'S THE PAY INEQUITIES.
WE ALSO, DURING OUR WORK, DISCOVERED PAY THAT WAS OUTSIDE THE BOARD APPROVED RANGE OF COMPENSATION.
AND SO WE'VE GOT INFORMATION IN THE REPORT ABOUT THAT.
FINALLY, PROCEDURES RELATED TO EMPLOYEE GRIEVANCES AND INVESTIGATIONS HAVE NOT BEEN SUFFICIENTLY CODIFIED, AND WE BELIEVE THIS CREATES SOME SOME RISKS AND PROCESS INEFFICIENCIES.
AND MOST OF THIS HAS TO DO WITH THE RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT.
AND ELAINE, WILL TALK ABOUT THE EMPLOYEE RELATIONS FUNCTION IN THIS TOPIC, SPECIFICALLY WHEN SHE GETS UP TO THE MIC.
I'M GOING TO COVER THE ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT SECTION OF THE PRESENTATION, AND THE FIRST ELEMENT THAT WE LOOKED AT WAS THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE.
AND SO THERE ARE SEVERAL PRINCIPLES THAT WE DESCRIBE IN THE REPORT THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR A SOLID ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND ITS ABILITY TO SUPPORT ACCOUNTABILITY.
ONE IS WHAT'S CALLED A LOGICAL ALIGNMENT OF FUNCTIONS.
YOU WANT TO HAVE A CLEAR DELINEATION OF YOUR FUNCTIONS SO THAT YOU HAVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THOSE FUNCTIONS SO THAT PEOPLE CAN BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THOSE FUNCTIONS AND THAT THOSE FUNCTIONS SHOULD BE LOGICALLY ALIGNED SO THAT SKILL SETS CAN BE SUPERVISING PEOPLE WITH SIMILAR SKILL SETS FOR THAT ARE APPLICABLE TO THAT FUNCTION.
THE SECOND IS SPAN OF CONTROL.
SPAN OF CONTROL IS THE NUMBER OF DIRECT REPORTS TO A SUPERVISOR.
AND SO A LARGE SPAN OF CONTROL.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU HAVE 40 BUS DRIVERS REPORTING TO YOU, THEY'RE ALL DOING EXACTLY THE SAME THING.
A SPAN OF CONTROL OF 40 MIGHT MAKE SENSE.
BUT WHEN YOU'RE MANAGING MULTIPLE DIFFERENT AREAS, YOU CAN'T HAVE 40 DIFFERENT PEOPLE OR POSITIONS WITH 40 DIFFERENT SETS OF RESPONSIBILITIES REPORTING TO YOU.
SO THE SPAN OF CONTROL IS IMPORTANT.
AND SO WE LOOKED AT THE SPAN OF CONTROL WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT, AT THE AT ALL
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LEVELS, AND WE SAW SOME IMBALANCES AND PERHAPS INEQUITIES OF SPAN OF CONTROL WHERE THERE WAS MORE OF A SUPERVISORY BURDEN ON CERTAIN DIRECTOR MANAGER POSITIONS AND LESS ON OTHERS.THIS STRUCTURE, WE DON'T THE STRUCTURE THAT YOU HAVE AND WE DON'T THINK IT BECAUSE OF THESE THINGS, WE DON'T THINK IT EFFECTIVELY SUPPORTS ACCOUNTABILITY, AND WE THINK THAT THE RECOMMENDATION THAT THAT WE MADE, WHICH IS A FUNCTIONAL ALIGNMENT.
AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT AND I'LL SHOW YOU THE GRAPHIC.
BUT WE DIDN'T RECOMMEND A SPECIFIC ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE FOR GARLAND ISD.
WE RECOMMENDED A FUNCTIONAL ALIGNMENT SO THAT YOU HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO DETERMINE WHAT POSITIONS YOU WANT, BUT YOU CAN AT LEAST SEE THE GOAL OF TRYING TO ALIGN THE POSITIONS BY THE DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS.
SO THIS IS PROBABLY DIFFICULT TO SEE.
I'LL WALK YOU THROUGH IT, THIS IS YOUR CURRENT ORGANIZATIONAL CHART AND THE BOX.
THE BLUE BOX AT THE TOP IS THE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT.
IMMEDIATELY BELOW THAT IS THE DIRECTOR OF PARAS AND AUXILIARY STAFF AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE LOOKED AT REGARDING SPAN OF CONTROL.
THERE'S FOUR BOXES REPRESENTING 11 POSITIONS, I BELIEVE, UNDER THAT POSITION.
THE NEXT SPAN OF CONTROL FOR THE REMAINING FOUR POSITIONS THAT REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT THAT ARE ALL ON THE SAME LEVEL THERE IS TWO AND A HALF AND TWO AND A HALF MEANS THEY SHARE A SECRETARY.
AND SO WE HAVE NOBODY ELSE HAS MORE THAN TWO AND A HALF DIRECT REPORTS.
EVERYBODY ELSE, OR THIS ONE POSITION, HAS 11 DIRECT REPORTS, AND THE REPORT GOES INTO MUCH MORE DETAIL ABOUT OTHER SPECIFIC OBSERVATIONS WE HAVE.
WE HAVE SOME POSITIONS THAT ARE FUNCTIONALLY ALIGNED AND SOME POSITIONS THAT ARE ALIGNED BY SCHOOL TYPE.
AND WHEN YOU HAVE BOTH IN AN ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE, IT REQUIRES YOU TO JUMP ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION CHART TO GET THINGS DONE BECAUSE WE HAVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR CERTAIN LEVELS AND THEN OTHERS HAVE BROAD RESPONSIBILITY FOR EVERYTHING THAT INCLUDES THOSE SCHOOL TYPES.
AND SO IT DOES CREATE SOME A GREAT NEED FOR COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION.
WE THINK A FUNCTIONAL ALIGNMENT WOULD MAKE THINGS A LOT MORE SIMPLE.
SO WE RECOMMENDED THAT YOU ESTABLISH A FUNCTIONAL ALIGNMENT UNDER THESE PRIMARY FUNCTIONS AND THE HR TALENT ACQUISITION, STAFFING, EMPLOYEE RELATIONS.
AND YOU HAVE SOME OF THESE, BY THE WAY, COMPENSATION COMPLIANCE AND HRIS IS HUMAN RESOURCES INFORMATION SYSTEMS, AND THIS IS WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
AND THIS IS THIS IS IN THE REPORT.
AGAIN, THIS IS A FUNCTIONAL ALIGNMENT.
THERE ARE NO POSITION TITLES OR LEVELS HERE.
WE JUST WANTED TO SHOW YOU THE MAJOR FUNCTIONS AND THE SUB FUNCTIONS UNDER THOSE SO THAT WHEN YOU'RE DEVELOPING YOUR ORGANIZATION CHART, YOU CAN SEEK TO ALIGN THOSE FUNCTIONS BY THE POSITIONS THAT YOU CHOOSE.
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE DISTRICT DOES CUSTOMER FEEDBACK SURVEY.
THOSE RESULTS SHOWED VERY POSITIVE RESPONSE RATES AND LEVELS OF SATISFACTION WITH THE HR DEPARTMENT.
WE WANT TO WE WANT TO EVALUATE OUR OWN PERFORMANCE USING DATA THAT WE HAVE AND DATA WE CAN COLLECT FROM OUR OWN INFORMATION SYSTEMS. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE TYPES OF RATIOS THAT WE HAVE IN MIND FOR THE HR DEPARTMENT.
SOME OF THEM RELATE TO THE HR DEPARTMENT, AND SOME OF THEM RELATE TO JUST THE MANAGEMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES FOR THE DISTRICT AS A WHOLE.
SO OVERALL, STUDENT TO STAFF RATIO OVERALL STUDENT TO TEACHER RATIO, THE NUMBER OF DISTRICT EMPLOYEES PER HUMAN RESOURCES FTE.
THESE MEASURES ARE ALL IN THE REPORT AND WE THINK THESE ARE THINGS THAT SHOULD BE PROACTIVELY MANAGED, TARGETS ESTABLISHED AND WE'VE LISTED SOME OTHER.
THERE'S A LONGER LIST IN THE REPORT, BUT THIS INFORMATION WILL HELP YOU MANAGE THE EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS DEPARTMENT GOING FORWARD.
PART OF OUR WORK INVOLVED LOOKING AT YOUR JOB DESCRIPTIONS, AND WE LOOKED AT THE JOB DESCRIPTIONS IN PARTICULAR FOR THE HR DEPARTMENT, AS WELL AS THEIR ROLE IN KIND OF MANAGING THE JOB DESCRIPTION UPDATE PROCESS FOR THE ENTIRE DISTRICT.
WE WERE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT THERE'S ONLY ONE POSITION IN THE HR
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DEPARTMENT THAT REQUIRES THIS IS NOT YOUR PEOPLE.ONE POSITION IN THE HR DEPARTMENT REQUIRES PRIOR HR EXPERIENCE.
WE FOUND THAT UNUSUAL, AND IT'S NOT EVEN YOUR ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT POSITION OVER HR.
IT WAS A LOWER LEVEL MANAGEMENT POSITION.
AND SO THIS IS AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT THIS IS NOT UNCOMMON IN PUBLIC EDUCATION, BUT I THINK IT'S RISKY IN PUBLIC EDUCATION BECAUSE YOU'RE A LARGE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND YOU HAVE I SAID EARLIER 7200 EMPLOYEES IN ONE OF THE PROBABLY TOP FIVE 10 LARGEST EMPLOYERS IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
AND YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE IN THE LONG TERM AND YOU DO HAVE INDIVIDUALS WITH HR EXPERIENCE, BUT THE JOB DESCRIPTIONS DRIVE THE NEW PEOPLE THAT YOU BRING IN.
AND SO WE ARE RECOMMENDING THAT YOU KIND OF UPGRADE THE REQUIREMENTS SO THAT YOU CAN, OVER THE LONG TERM, ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE HIGH QUALITY EXPERIENCE HR LEADERSHIP MANAGEMENT THAT YOU NEED TO RUN A COMPLEX AT LARGE.
SO THIS PRACTICE THAT YOU HAVE NOW BROADENS THE CANDIDATE POOL, BUT THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE GREAT THING YOU WANT TO FOCUS IN ON YOUR FOR LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT POSITIONS, THE MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE SKILLS THEY NEED TO OVERSEE THIS DEPARTMENT.
WE HAVE A RECOMMENDATION IN THE REPORT ABOUT STRENGTHENING YOUR CONTROLS OVER PERSONNEL FILES TO ENSURE COMPLETENESS AND COMPLIANCE PART OF OUR WORK INVOLVED TRANSACTION TESTING, WHERE WE PICKED A SAMPLE OF PERSONNEL FILES AND WENT THROUGH THEM AND WE MADE A LIST OF THINGS THAT ARE TYPICALLY SHOULD BE EITHER REQUIRED OR BEST PRACTICE SHOULD BE IN THE PERSONNEL FILE.
AND THEN WE NOTED ANY EXCEPTIONS TO THAT IN THE REPORT, AND WE FOUND QUITE A FEW EXCEPTIONS IN THE SAMPLE THAT WE PICKED.
AND WE ALSO NOTICED THAT THERE WASN'T YOUR OWN INTERNAL CHECKLIST THAT WAS USED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAD EVERYTHING THAT YOUR FILES NEEDED, WHETHER THEY WERE MANUAL FILES, WHICH ARE PROBABLY BY NOW MOSTLY DIGITIZED OR DIGITIZED FILES.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE EVERYTHING IN THEM THAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE.
AND THAT CHECKLIST AND OUR RECOMMENDATION THAT SHOULD BE SIGNED BY THE PERSON WHO PULLED TOGETHER THAT FILE AND BY THE SUPERVISOR WHO SIGNED OFF, MAKING SURE THAT THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
IN ADDITION, WE RECOMMENDED AS ONE OF THE IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES THAT YOU CONDUCT YOUR OWN SELF AUDITS OF WHETHER THAT'S DONE BY SOMEONE IN THE HR DEPARTMENT OR ANOTHER DEPARTMENT, BUT JUST PERIODICALLY GO IN AND CHECK, DO WHAT WE DID, TAKE A SAMPLE AND REVIEW THE CONTENTS OF THE FILES AGAINST YOUR CHECKLISTS SO THAT YOU CAN MEASURE YOUR IMPROVEMENT OF THAT.
SO THAT'S THE ESSENCE OF THAT RECOMMENDATION.
SOME OF THE OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS WE MADE IN THE ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT SECTION IS TO UPDATE THE HUMAN RESOURCE JOB DESCRIPTION.
SOME SOME HAD INFORMATION THAT WAS INCONSISTENT WITH THE ORGANIZATION CHART.
AND THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE A REGULAR REVIEW PROCESS, NOT JUST FOR THE HR DEPARTMENT.
JOB DESCRIPTIONS, BUT THE HR DEPARTMENT SHOULD REALLY DRIVE THAT THAT PROCESS FOR THE ENTIRE DISTRICT.
THE LAST RECOMMENDATION IN THIS SECTION WAS TO DEVELOP A REGULARLY UPDATED STATUS REPORTS FOR DEPARTMENTAL IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVES, AND THIS SPECIFICALLY RELATES TO A TASB STUDY SEPARATE FROM YOUR COMPENSATION WORK THAT YOU HIRE TASB TO DO PERIODICALLY, IF NOT ANNUALLY.
THERE WAS SOME RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE MADE BY TASB.
THERE WAS NOT A FORMAL STATUS REPORTING OF THOSE OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO THERE HAD BEEN PROGRESS MADE IN SOME, NOT PROGRESS MADE IN OTHERS.
BUT THERE WAS THERE WAS NOT ANY PROGRESS REPORTING FORMER REPORTING RELATED TO THE IMPLEMENTATION.
SO WE WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU DO THAT SO THAT THE HR DEPARTMENT CAN MEASURE PROGRESS AGAINST THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO I'M GOING TO PAUSE NOW AND I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO ELAINE AND THEN WE'LL BE ABLE TO FIELD QUESTIONS AT THE END IF THAT'S OK.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. PRESIDENT, TRUSTEES, DR.
LOPEZ, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US, AND FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING
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US TO WORK WITH YOUR TEAM HERE.THE STAFF WAS AMAZING TO TALK TO AND VISIT WITH YOUR FRONT DESK PEOPLE OUT FRONT.
SOME OF THE FRIENDLIEST PEOPLE I'VE EVER MET.
THEY REMEMBERED WHO I WAS AND I JUST FELT LIKE I WAS HOME.
YOU DON'T GET THAT EVERYWHERE, BELIEVE ME.
AND SO HAVING A HOME AND WELCOME ATMOSPHERE IS A GREAT THING.
AND WE SAW TRAITS OF THAT IN YOUR HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT, WHICH WAS VERY ENCOURAGING TO ME.
I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE TECHNICAL THINGS OR WHAT I'D LIKE TO SAY ARE THE HUMAN FACTORS OF THE WORK IN HUMAN RESOURCES.
AND ONE OF THE FIRST AREAS I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS WITH YOU IS STAFFING NOW.
WHEN YOU USE THE WORD OR TERM STAFFING IN EDUCATION, WE TEND TO THINK OF THAT AS JUST HOW MANY TEACHERS DO WE NEED, PER HOW MANY KIDS WE HAVE.
BUT IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, STAFFING WILL ACTUALLY ENCOMPASS EVERYTHING FROM WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO RECRUIT EMPLOYEES INTO THE DISTRICT.
HOW QUICKLY ARE YOU ONBOARDING THEM? HOW ARE YOU GETTING THEM CULTURED FOR WHAT GARLAND IS DOING AND GET THEM DEPLOYED OUT TO THOSE CAMPUSES? OK.
SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT STAFFING, ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I'M ALWAYS GOING TO LOOK AT IS THE RECRUITING ASPECTS OF A DISTRICT.
I WAS SO IMPRESSED TO HEAR THAT WHEN YOU ASKED THE HR STAFF, WHAT DO YOU DO FOR RECRUITING HERE? THE FIRST THING THEY'RE GOING TO TELL YOU IS EVERYBODY WANTS TO WORK IN GARLAND, WHERE WE ARE A DESTINATION DISTRICT.
WELL, THAT'S WONDERFUL, AND I THINK THAT'S GREAT.
BUT JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE A DESTINATION DISTRICT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THOSE HIGH QUALITY TEACHERS ARE MAKING THEIR WAY TO YOUR DISTRICT.
AND WHAT ARE WE DOING TO KEEP THOSE FOLKS? SO WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT RECRUITING.
WE FOUND THAT YOU DID HAVE VERY QUALIFIED PEOPLE WORKING IN THE RECRUITING DEPARTMENT.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY, YOUR RECRUITING IS NOT STRATEGIC.
AND NOW WHEN I USE THAT WORD, IT SOUNDS KIND OF FANCY SCHMANCY.
BUT REALLY, ARE WE HIRING THE RIGHT PEOPLE FOR THE KIDS WE SERVE? AND THERE WERE NO PROFILES IN PLACE.
THERE WAS NOT A WRITTEN PLAN IN PLACE TO SAY, THIS IS THE POPULATION OF STUDENTS WE'RE FOCUSING ON.
THESE ARE THE AREAS OF GRADES THAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON.
AND THERE WAS NOTHING TO TELL THEM THAT WHAT WAS A GARLAND ISD TEACHER? SO ONE OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS IS IS THAT YOU CREATE A RECRUITMENT PLAN THAT CLEARLY ARTICULATES WHO SHOULD BE WORKING HERE.
WHO SHOULD THEY BE SERVING AND HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET THEM HERE? SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE RECOMMEND IS THAT YOU CLEARLY HAVE A PLAN THAT'S EVOLVING BASED ON THE NEEDS OF YOUR STUDENTS.
IT USED TO BE IN THE DAY THAT IT WAS A NUMBER TO NUMBER ISSUE.
OK, BUT NOW IT'S A NEED TO QUALITY ISSUE.
AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT JUST HIRING EXPERIENCED TEACHERS IS THE WAY TO GO.
SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO HIRE BASED ON DEMOGRAPHICS, ETHNICITY, SKILL SETS, TECHNICAL ABILITIES, YOUR CAREER PROGRAMS DO THEY HAVE WORKFORCE EXPERIENCE? AND SO WHEN YOU HAVE THOSE OBJECTIVES IN PLACE, THEN YOU CAN BUILD THE STRATEGIES THAT YOU NEED TO RECRUIT THESE TYPES OF PEOPLE.
WHERE ARE WE GOING TO FIND THESE TYPES OF CANDIDATES? WHICH COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES OR PROGRAMS ARE TURNING OUT THESE TYPES OF INDIVIDUALS? WHAT COMPANIES CAN WE PARTNER WITH TO BRING IN CTE TEACHERS WHO WE WILL CERTIFY THROUGH OUR DISTRICT TO TEACH OUR STUDENTS? AND SO HAVING THOSE TYPES OF ACTIVITIES WILL DEFINE AND CHANGE EVERY YEAR BASED ON THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS IN YOUR DISTRICT.
AND THEN IT ULTIMATELY GIVES YOU SOMETHING TO SAY HOW ARE WE DOING? AND I THINK THAT THAT WAS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT AND IMPACTFUL PART OF OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH YOUR TEAM IS THAT EVEN IN THEIR OWN WORK, THEY'RE PROUD OF THEIR WORK.
THEY'RE RESPONSIVE TO THE PRINCIPALS THAT REQUEST FOR STAFF.
BUT THEY HAD NO ABILITY TO KNOW, AM I BEING AS SUCCESSFUL AS I COULD BE? AND IT'S MORE THAN JUST PUTTING A BODY IN PLACE.
IT IS DEFINITELY NOW AGAIN SHIFT FROM THE NUMBER PICTURE TO THE QUALITY.
AND AND SO WE ENCOURAGE AND RECOMMEND THAT YOU MOVE YOUR RECRUITING TOWARDS THAT TYPE OF OF VISION AND DIRECTION WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.
SO YOU GET THESE WONDERFUL PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING TO AN OBVIOUS DESTINATION DISTRICT.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO COMMEND IMMEDIATELY IS THAT YOUR HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT WAS VERY RESPONSIVE IN COVID AND TOOK YOUR ONBOARDING PROCESS ONLINE.
IT DID NOT PHYSICALLY REQUIRE PEOPLE TO COME INTO YOUR BUILDINGS, AND THAT IS PIVOTAL FOR THE WORK IN HR.
I DON'T THINK THAT THERE WILL EVER BE A DAY THAT IN EDUCATION THAT OUR HR DEPARTMENTS GO BACK TO HAVING EIGHT HOUR ONBOARDING SESSIONS.
AND WHEN WE DO BRING THEM IN, THEN WE CAN REALLY FOCUS ON THE CULTURAL PIECES, REALLY EMBEDDING THEM IN WHO YOU ARE AS A DISTRICT.
BUT THE PAPERWORK IS NECESSARY AND BEING ABLE TO DO IT DIGITALLY IS IDEAL.
I CALL IT PAJAMA ON BOARDING BECAUSE THEY CAN DO IT AT HOME IN THEIR PAJAMAS.
[00:35:05]
AND THE NICE THING IS IS THAT YOU WERE FINALLY ABLE TO USE A SYSTEM THAT HAS BEEN WITH YOU FOR A LITTLE BIT IN YOUR DOCUMENT RETENTION TO CREATE THE FORMS AND THE WORKFLOWS NECESSARY TO GET THAT INFORMATION OUT TO YOUR YOUR NEW HIRES.SO SOME OF THE DRAWBACKS, THOUGH, IS THAT WHEN WE UNDERUTILIZED THE SYSTEM THAT YOU HAVE THAT SO ADVANCED LIKE YOUR DOCUMENT RETENTION SYSTEM, WHEN PEOPLE DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO TRACK OR SEE PROGRESS DUE TO SECURITY LEVELS OR ACCESS LEVELS, IT KIND OF SLOWS DOWN THE WORK.
SO SOMETIMES IT WOULD REQUIRE LIKE A MANUAL POOL OF, YOU KNOW, AN INDIVIDUAL FILE VERSUS RUNNING A GENERIC REPORT.
AND PART OF IT IS THE WAY THAT THE DOCUMENTATION, THE RETENTION WAS SET UP.
AND SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT CREATING THOSE WORKFLOWS TO SMOOTH THE PROCESS, IT'S GOING TO BE EVERYTHING FROM USING THE SYSTEMS YOU HAVE.
OK, NOW I HAVE TO BRAG ON YOU.
YOU ALL HAVE SOME OF THE BEST HR PLATFORMS OUT THERE.
YOUR APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM, IS IT IS DEFINITELY CAN BE A MONSTER.
I SHARED WITH THE AUDIT COMMITTEE, YOU OWN A FERRARI, BUT YOU'RE BACKING IT UP TO THE MAILBOX AND THEN RIGHT BACK IN THE GARAGE WHEN YOU REALLY CAN BE TAKING IT OUT ON THE ROAD.
AND SO WHEN THERE'S UNDERUTILIZATION, THAT MEANS YOU'RE NOT GETTING DATA OUT OF THE SYSTEM.
THAT WOULD BE REALLY BENEFICIAL.
LIKE, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE AN APPLICANT TO GET CALLED FOR AN INTERVIEW? HOW MANY INTERVIEWS DID THAT CAMPUS CONDUCT? WHAT TYPE OF CANDIDATES WERE THEY LOOKING AT? COULD WE POOL APPLICANTS BASED ON THEIR CERTIFICATION QUALITY, THE TYPE OF QUALITY OF WORK, THEIR PERFORMANCE? SOMETIMES I HAD A SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT THEY WANTED TO HIRE FROM SPECIFIC NEIGHBORING UNIVERSITY.
SO HOW MANY APPLICANTS WERE WE GETTING FROM THAT UNIVERSITY? THE SYSTEM YOU HAVE CURRENTLY IN PLACE WITHOUT BUYING ANY MORE BELLS AND WHISTLES COULD GIVE YOU THAT, BUT IT IS NOT BEING USED IN THE WAY THAT YOU'RE GETTING ALL OF THAT INFORMATION.
AND SO WHAT HAPPENED IN YOUR ONBOARDING IS YOU YOU KIND OF MADE THE INFORMATION GO IN TWICE, SO YOUR APPLICANT APPLIES.
BUT THEN THEY KIND OF HAD TO RECREATE IT ALL WHEN THEY STARTED ONBOARDING, SO THAT EXTRACTION OF THAT INFORMATION IS ALSO NOT BEING USED.
AND SO AGAIN, YOU SEE WHERE YOUR WORKFLOW STARTS TO SLOW DOWN BECAUSE WE'RE REDOING THE WORK.
WHEN THE WORK IS ALREADY IN THE SYSTEM, YOU JUST GOT TO LEARN HOW TO PUT IT IN THERE CORRECTLY AND GET IT OUT CORRECTLY.
I ALSO SAW THAT THERE WAS AGAIN JUST BASED ON THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR EMPLOYEES IN THE DEPARTMENT AND WHO DOES WHAT.
IT CREATES SOME CONGESTION ON HOW PEOPLE ARE ON BOARD IN THE DISTRICT.
ONE KEY AREA THAT WE IDENTIFIED AND THAT I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT LATER IS THAT IT IS NOT UNUSUAL IN YOUR DISTRICT FOR SOMEBODY TO GET A JOB OFFER AND NOT KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY THEY'RE BEING OFFERED TO PAY.
I CAN TELL YOU FOR A FACT YOU ARE LOSING GOOD CANDIDATES BECAUSE THE NEIGHBORING DISTRICT CAN GIVE THEM THE OFFER WITHIN 20 MINUTES WITH A SALARY AND BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT THE WORK IS BEING DONE IN THE DEPARTMENT, WE'RE NOT ABLE TO DO THAT.
OK? WE FOUND IN A SITUATION THAT SOME FOLKS ACTUALLY HAVE TO WAIT TILL THEIR FIRST PAYCHECK.
AND I CAN TELL YOU WHAT, I'VE GOT KIDS IN COLLEGE AND I NEED TO KNOW WHERE EVERY PENNY IS.
SO AGAIN, YOU'RE GETTING CONGESTION IN AREAS BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR ANOTHER PERSON TO ACTUALLY INITIATE THAT, THAT SALARY COMPONENT AGAIN, DAYS ARE STOPPING.
AND IN SOME SCENARIOS WE SEE THAT THE ACTUAL ONBOARDING PROCESS, SO THAT THAT'S FROM THE POINT WHERE THE MANAGER OR PRINCIPAL MAKES A RECOMMENDATION TO HIRE, OK, SO THEY START THAT PAR OR THAT PERSONNEL ACTION REQUEST THROUGH TO THE TIME THE INDIVIDUAL GETS A JOB OFFER IS PROBABLY OVER A WEEK AND A HALF.
OK, THEN TO ACTUALLY GET THE EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT COULD TAKE ANOTHER COUPLE OF WEEKS.
THEY STILL MIGHT NOT HAVE THE SALARY COMPONENT OF THAT.
AND SO IF YOU USE THE TOOLS THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE IN YOUR APPLICANT TRACKING, YOU CAN MAKE A JOB OFFER, YOU CAN MAKE THE SALARY OFFER.
AND IF YOU REALLY WANTED, YOU COULD ISSUE CONTRACTS IN UNDER 20 MINUTES.
AND SO AGAIN, IT'S JUST ABOUT KNOWING HOW TO INTEGRATE THE SYSTEMS YOU HAVE.
YOUR DOCUMENT RETENTION SYSTEM, GREAT SYSTEM AND THAT'S WHAT IT SHOULD BE DOING, BUT YOU'RE USING IT TO PROCESS APPLICANTS WHEN YOU ALREADY OWN AN APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM.
SO WE REALLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO START WORKING WITH THE PROGRAMS THAT YOU HAVE.
AND ONE OF OUR STAFFING RECOMMENDATIONS WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE WAS REALLY CONSIDERING GETTING A SKILL SET IN THE DEPARTMENT THAT KNOWS HOW TO INTEGRATE PLATFORMS PULL DATA, RUN THOSE REPORTS.
IT WILL BE SO BENEFICIAL BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE THE WORK HAPPENING RIGHT IN FRONT OF
[00:40:04]
YOU.SO NOW THAT WE'VE GOT FOLKS ON BOARDED, ONE OF THE OTHER MAJOR AREAS THAT WE VISITED AND LOOKED AT WITH COMPENSATION, I'M VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS BECAUSE IN MOST SCHOOL DISTRICTS, OVER EIGHTY FIVE PERCENT OF YOUR BUDGET IS GOING TO PAY HUMAN BEINGS.
AND SO THAT'S A HUGE PART OF THE WORK THAT YOU ALL DO.
AND AS STEWARDS OF THE DISTRICT, I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS THAT YOU UNDERSTAND AND HAVE A VERY CLEAR COMPENSATION STRUCTURE IN PLACE.
AS WE REVIEWED AND LOOKED AT THINGS IN THE DEPARTMENT YOU HAVE FOR A DISTRICT OF YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL SIZE.
ONE INDIVIDUAL WHO COULD SET SALARIES FOR THE ENTIRE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THAT BECOMES VERY COMPLICATED.
ONE IT SLOWS THINGS DOWN TWO YOU'RE DEPENDING ON ONE PERSON TO OWN ALL OF THE KNOWLEDGE, AND SOME OF IT COULD ACTUALLY, IF THERE WERE GOOD SYSTEMS IN PLACE, PROCESSES IN PLACE, IT COULD BE DONE BY A CLERK, ESSENTIALLY PAYROLL.
WE COUNT ON PAYROLL TO DO THE AUDIT PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THE NUMBERS ADD UP, BUT THE ACTUAL FORMULAS COULD BE SET AND THEN PLUG AND PLAY.
RIGHT NOW, THAT'S NOT HOW IT'S CURRENTLY HAPPENING AT THE TIME OF OUR AUDIT.
YOU LITERALLY HAD AN INDIVIDUAL WHO WAS MANUALLY GOING THROUGH RESUMES EXPERIENCE AGAIN.
YOUR APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM ALREADY HAD THAT AND GENERATING THESE SALARY OFFERS.
WE SAW THAT THE WAY THAT THE OFFERS WERE GENERATED DID CREATE SOME INCONSISTENCY.
SO YOU MAY HAVE SCENARIOS NOT FOR TEACHER POSITIONS, NECESSARILY BECAUSE WE KNOW THEIR ON A YEAR TO YEAR, BUT MAYBE POSITIONS THAT WILL JUST TAKE A FAKE POSITION FOR THE ZOOKEEPER POSITION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND YOU HAVE TWO ZOOKEEPERS EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE AND ONE WAS BEING PAID MORE THAN THE OTHER.
OK, SO WHEN YOU START GETTING THOSE INEQUITIES, ONCE YOU HIRE THAT IN AND YOU KEEP IT GOING EVERY YEAR, YOUR COMPRESSION GROWS AND THEN YOU START GETTING SIGNIFICANT VARIANCES.
WE DID PROVIDE YOU SOME VISUALS FOR THIS INFORMATION THAT YOU'LL SEE IN THE APPENDICES OF THE REPORT.
THEY LOOK LIKE WE THREW A PUNCH OF LIKE CONFETTI ON A PIECE OF PAPER.
BUT WHAT IT REALLY SHOWS YOU IS WHENEVER YOU SEE A BIG POCKET OF THOSE DOTS CLUSTERED TOGETHER, THERE'S PROBABLY SOME INEQUITY THERE.
I CAN TELL YOU IT'S COMPRESSED.
THAT MEANS THAT EITHER A YOU HAVEN'T MOVED THE PAY GRADE OFTEN ENOUGH OR B WHEN THEY WERE ORIGINALLY SET TO HIRE.
THE CALCULATIONS WERE NOT CONSISTENT.
AND THEN YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THIS RANDOM FLOATING DOT IN THE HR, AND NOBODY REALLY KNOWS HOW IT GETS THERE.
WE CALL THOSE OUTLIERS AND YOU DO HAVE OUTLIERS.
WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY AND JUST OUR SAMPLE OVER 100 PEOPLE WHO ARE BEING PAID OUTSIDE OF THE RANGE FOR WHICH THEY'RE EMPLOYED.
THAT MEANS THAT JOB DESCRIPTIONS FOR THE WHOLE DISTRICT NEED TO BE REVISITED SO THAT WE CAN SEE THAT WE'VE GOT THEM APPROPRIATELY PACED AND THEN WE NEED TO REVISIT COMPLIANCE PROCESSES, MEANING THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE PAYROLLS WRITTEN AND STANDARDS IN PLACE SO THAT EVERYBODY'S TREATED CONSISTENTLY.
THERE'S THERE HAS BEEN A PATTERN OF MOVING PEOPLE IN THE DISTRICT, EVEN FROM DIFFERENT TYPES OF POSITIONS OR EMPLOYEE GROUPS, AND ALLOWING THAT INDIVIDUAL TO KEEP THEIR CURRENT SALARY.
WELL, IF I HAVE A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL AND WE REASSIGN THAT PRINCIPAL TO HEAD CUSTODIAN AND THEY'RE STILL MAKING SCHOOL PRINCIPAL PAY, THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
BUT I'M JUST GIVING YOU AN EXAMPLE QUALIFIER THAT CREATES THOSE FLOATING DOTS.
AND SO AGAIN, WE SAW THAT IT'S NOT UNUSUAL TO SEE IT, ESPECIALLY IN A DISTRICT OF THIS SIZE.
YOU WHEN YOU GROW, YOU GREW SO FAST, BUT NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO REALLY START CLEANING THAT UP.
FIND THE EMPLOYEE GROUPS YOU WANT TO START WORKING ON TO START WORKING THROUGH THE EQUITY ISSUES, AND YOU CAN'T DO IT IN A SINGLE SWOOP.
SOMETHING OF THIS MAGNITUDE WILL TAKE YOU SEVERAL YEARS.
RIGHT NOW, WITH THE CURRENT EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS, YOU PROBABLY WANT TO START WITH THE AUXILIARY AND YOUR PARAPROFESSIONALS FIRST.
THEY WILL BE THE EASIEST TO DECOMPRESS AND TO ALIGN THEM WITH COMPETITIVE PAY IN THE AREA.
SO THESE ARE JUST SOME THINGS THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT FOR YOU ALL.
AGAIN, I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH JUST HAVING SIMPLE PAY PAY GUIDELINES, MEANING WHAT'S THE RULE FOR WHEN WE DEMOTE SOMEBODY? WHAT'S THE RULE WHEN WE PROMOTE SOMEBODY WITHIN THE SAME PAY GROUP? DO WE GIVE THEM MORE MONEY? HOW DOES THIS WORK? AND IT SHOULD NEVER BE.
WHO KNOWS WHO TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT? IT SHOULD ALWAYS BE BASED ON A STANDARD, A FORMULA.
SO THERE'S NEVER A QUESTION OR DOUBT.
AGAIN, SOME OF THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE BY A SINGLE SENIOR MANAGER COULD REALLY BE DONE
[00:45:01]
BY A CLERK.BUT THIS IS A LARGE DISTRICT, PEOPLE ARE MOVING ALL THE TIME.
THINGS IMPACT SALARIES ALL THE TIME, AND SO TO HAVE THAT ON ONE DESK IS PROBABLY NOT A GREAT IDEA.
SOME OF THE OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE OR TO SHARE WITH YOU PUBLICLY IS THAT HR IS VERY DISCONNECTED FROM THE ACTUAL WHAT I WOULD CALL THE COMPENSATION OR BUDGET PROCESS.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, THEY MAY NOT HAVE THE AWARENESS FROM THE BIG PICTURE OF HOW TO MOVE THINGS FORWARD FOR POSITIONING GETTING STAFF IN PLACE OR REUTILIZING FTES THAT ARE OUT THERE.
AND SO I REALLY DO RECOMMEND THAT THOSE RULES ARE ESTABLISHED.
I THINK THAT THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT IS DOING AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB WITH THE POSITION CONTROL.
THAT IS AN EXCELLENT CHECK AND BALANCE FOR A DISTRICT OF THIS SIZE TO HAVE THAT OUT THERE, BUT TO HAVE OWNERSHIP IN HUMAN RESOURCES WITH MAKING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF WHERE THOSE POSITIONS SHOULD FALL ON THE PAY GRADES, THE QUALIFICATIONS NECESSARY FOR THOSE TYPES OF POSITIONS.
SO AGAIN, DISTRICT WIDE, A REWRITE OF JOB DESCRIPTIONS REVIEW THEM DETERMINE IF THEY'RE COMPETITIVE IN THE MARKET AND IF THEY'RE BEING PLACED CORRECTLY IN THE DISTRICT.
AND THAT ALL STARTS WITH THAT, THAT LITTLE PIECE OF PAPER THAT SAYS THIS IS WHAT THE JOB DOES THAT DRIVES SO MUCH AND THEN TO REALLY CONSIDER HAVING HR A LITTLE MORE INVOLVED IN THE STIPEND PROCESS FOR YOUR DISTRICT AT THIS TIME.
BASED ON THE INFORMATION WE PRESENTED, THERE IS NOT AN ANNUAL RECONCILIATION THAT HR IS INVOLVED WITH.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? BECAUSE THAT IS A COMPONENT OF A TOTAL COMPENSATION PACKAGE, WHICH WHEN YOU WERE OUT THERE RECRUITING YOUR HR TEAM SHOULD BE ABLE TO MARKET THAT YOU HAVE EXCELLENT STIPENDS IN PLACE, BUT THERE'S NOT A STIPEND THAT SHOULD NOT BE VERIFIED EVERY YEAR.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO TO START THIS PROCESS FROM AN HR PERSPECTIVE IS HAVE A COMPLIANCE ACKNOWLEDGMENT EVERY YEAR.
SO BECAUSE THAT'S NOT PART OF THEIR CONTRACT, RIGHT? SO ARE YOUR EMPLOYEES SIGNING STIPEND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS EACH YEAR, UNDERSTANDING THAT THEY HAVE TO BE PERFORMING THE WORK FOR WHICH THEY'RE BEING PAID FOR? IT'S NOT UNUSUAL.
WHEN THERE'S NOT AN ANNUAL RECONCILIATION, SOMEBODY'S GOING TO KEEP GETTING PAID, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVEN'T COACHED THAT, THAT SPORT FOR 10 YEARS.
AND I'LL TELL YOU, IT'S ALWAYS HARD TO GET THAT MONEY BACK.
SO AGAIN, WE RECOMMEND THAT HR HAS SOME OWNERSHIP IN THAT AND IN CONDUCTING THOSE AUDITS EACH YEAR, MAKING SURE THAT THE PERSON'S RECEIVING THE STIPEND ARE ACTUALLY DOING THOSE WORK AND CREATING A PROCESS SO THAT THERE'S CHECKS AND BALANCES.
RIGHT NOW, IT FALLS ON YOUR PRINCIPLES, AND THAT'S THAT'S NOT IN THEIR SCOPE OF WORK.
THEY NEED TO BE FOCUSING ON THE INSTRUCTION, PERSONNEL AND POSITION SHOULD BE IN HR.
SO THOSE ARE THE OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS WE HAVE WITH REGARD TO COMPENSATION FOR YOUR DISTRICT.
AGAIN, AMAZING THAT IT COULD BE DONE AT THE LEVEL IT'S BEEN DONE AT.
BUT I'M TELLING YOU, IF YOU USE YOUR TOOLS, IT WOULD FREE PEOPLE UP TO DO SOME AMAZING AND CREATIVE THINGS YOU COULD GET.
YOU COULD GET REALLY CREATIVE ABOUT HOW YOU USE STIPENDS IN YOUR DISTRICT.
THE LAST AREA I WANT TO TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT IS EMPLOYEE RELATIONS.
NOW I'M GOING TO TELL YOU HISTORICALLY THIS THIS COMPONENT RIGHT HERE GIVES HR A BAD NAME BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE DON'T EVER WANT TO GO TO HR.
WE'RE LIKE THE LAST PEOPLE YOU WANT TO TALK TO BECAUSE IT EITHER MEANS YOU'RE GETTING NOTICE OF SOMETHING OR YOU'RE BEING WARNED THAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO GET NOTICE OF SOMETHING THAT IS THE OLD WAY OF THINGS.
NOW OUT IN THE WORLD, EMPLOYEE RELATIONS IS ALL ABOUT EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE.
WHEN WE LOOK AT A SCHOOL DISTRICT, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT FOR SOME OF THE PRACTICAL HANDBOOKS POLICY GRIEVANCE PROCESSES.
CURRENTLY AS WE'RE SITTING NOW, YOUR HR DEPARTMENT IS NOT NECESSARILY DRIVING ANY OF THESE AREAS.
THEY MAY HAVE A DABBLE IN SOME OF THEM, BUT NOT NECESSARILY DRIVING THOSE AREAS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID OBSERVE THAT'S A LITTLE BIT CONCERNING IS THAT JUST LIKE WITH THE HIRING PROCESS, THERE ARE SOME INTERVIEW STRUCTURES THAT SLOW THINGS DOWN.
THERE'S SOME GRIEVANCE STRUCTURES, MEANING THAT EVERYTHING IS COMING DIRECTLY TO HR.
AND THAT'S A CONCERN, BECAUSE THAT MAY MEAN THAT AN EMPLOYEES CAN BE KIND OF SCARED TO SPEAK UP IF THEY'RE STRUGGLING.
THEY DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO FOR HELP OR TO JUST ASK A QUESTION.
SO IT'S A REAL FEAR BASED ENVIRONMENT.
OK, SO WE DO RECOMMEND THAT THERE IS A STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE PUT IN PLACE NOW YOU'VE GOT THE POLICY POLICIES IN PLACE.
[00:50:01]
WE'RE TALKING THE PROCESS THAT THE WORK GETS DONE.REALLY, HR SHOULD BE THAT FRIENDLY FACE DRIVING THAT COMPLAINT BACK TO WHERE IT SHOULD GO.
MONITORING THAT IT'S GETTING HANDLED AND ADDRESSED AND THEN STEPPING AWAY FROM IT.
SO THOSE ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IT'S GOING TO GO STRAIGHT FROM HR AND IT GOES STRAIGHT OVER TO LEGAL.
I'M TELLING YOU WHAT, I WOULD BE TERRIFIED IF YOU TOLD ME I HAD TO TALK TO A LAWYER JUST BECAUSE I WANT TO FIND OUT IF I CAN GET A DIFFERENT PARKING SPOT.
SO AGAIN, JUST REVISITING HOW GRIEVANCES ARE BEING HANDLED, MAKE THEM MORE EMPLOYEE FRIENDLY.
AND THE LAST THING WE WANT TO DO IS JUST TELL PEOPLE WHEN THEY HAVE A PROBLEM.
WELL, DID YOU FILE A GRIEVANCE? THAT'S THE LAST THING WE SHOULD BE DOING, BUT THE STRUCTURE YOU HAVE IN PLACE IS VERY MUCH SUPPORTING THAT TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT.
AS FAR AS ACCESS TO FORMS AND DOCUMENTS, YOU DO HAVE A GREAT WEBSITE PLATFORM HERE.
AND SO I DID SEE THAT IT WAS VERY WELL UTILIZED.
SO YOUR EMPLOYEES HAVE ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION, WHICH IS GREAT, BUT MAYBE THEY DON'T REALLY HAVE ACCESS TO THE EDUCATION ABOUT IT OR A HUMAN BEING THAT CAN HELP THEM UNDERSTAND IT AND WALK THEM THROUGH IT.
AND THOSE ARE THE PIECES THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE CONNECTED.
AND SO JUST AGAIN, TO REVISIT, IS THIS SOMETHING REALLY THAT HR IS HANDLING? CAN THEY DIRECT IT BACK TO A LOWER LEVEL ADMINISTRATOR AND CREATE A STOPGAP SO THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO STRAIGHT TO LEGAL? AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE A WAY TO REALLY OPEN LINES OF COMMUNICATION, AND YOU MAY FIND THAT GRIEVANCES WILL ACTUALLY DISSOLVE VERY QUICKLY BECAUSE WE'RE ACTUALLY FACING PEOPLE AND HELPING PEOPLE.
SO I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT.
AND LASTLY, WITH REGARD TO EMPLOYEE RELATIONS, AGAIN, I TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE.
HR REALLY SHOULD BE AN ARM OF WHO YOU ARE.
I ALWAYS SAY THAT IT'S THE FIRST FACE THAT PEOPLE HAVE WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND IT IS THE LAST FACE SOMEBODY'S GOING TO HAVE WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
DOES THAT FACE REFLECT ALL OF THE VALUES AND THINGS THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD WANTS THEIR STAFF TO HAVE? AND SO I REALLY WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THAT THAT FOCUS MOVES AWAY FROM TRANSACTION PROCESSING PEOPLE IN.
THEY ARE PEOPLE AND REALLY ADDING THE WORK FOR THE DEPARTMENT TO BE PART OF THE EXPERIENCE.
WHAT ARE WE DOING TO IMPROVE THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE, COMMUNICATION, SURVEYS, FEEDBACK, WELLNESS INITIATIVES, RECOGNITION PROGRAMS AND SO REALLY FOCUSING ON THE THE EXPERIENCE AND MAKING THIS NOT JUST THE DESTINATION DISTRICT THAT EVERYBODY BELIEVES YOU ARE, BUT REALLY MAKING IT THE DESTINATION DISTRICT WHERE PEOPLE WILL END UP AND BE.
SO THAT IS ALL I HAVE FOR MY SECTION OF THE PRESENTATION.
I WILL INVITE GREG BACK UP IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS.
DID YOU HAVE ANY FINAL COMMENTS BEFORE WE OPEN IT UP FOR THE BOARD? OK, WE'LL START WITH ANY QUESTIONS.
YOU MAY HAVE COMMENTS REGARDING THE HR REPORT.
YOU SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN IT DELIVERED TO YOU, COMPLETE WITH ALL THE COMMENTS AND MANAGEMENT RESPONSES, ET CETERA.
I SERVED ON THE INTERNAL AUDIT, IN FACT CHAIR, SO I'VE DABBLED WITH THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN MOST.
BUT THERE ARE STILL SOME QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THIS.
I WANT TO FIRST START WITH THE ISSUE THAT ELAINE TALKED ABOUT WITH THE TECHNOLOGY, THE PLATFORMS THAT WE ARE KIND OF UNDERUTILIZED AND LASER FISH IS ONE THAT SHE MENTIONED SPECIFICALLY AND AND WHAT'S THE OTHER ONE? FRONT LINE.
I GUESS THE QUESTION I WOULD HAVE AND DR.
LOPEZ, YOU CAN CHIME IN ON THIS TOO, BECAUSE YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO NEED TO ANSWER IT.
DO WE KNOW IF WE CURRENTLY PAY FOR THE LICENSES TO ACCESS ALL ASPECTS OF THESE PLATFORMS? OR DO WE HAVE ACCESS TO THE PLATFORMS, BUT THERE ARE CERTAIN TIERS OF PAYMENT THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE UNDER OUR CONTRACT TO GET ACCESS TO ALL THESE, THESE CERTAIN ELEMENTS? I'D BE HAPPY TO RESPOND TO THAT.
SO THE MODULES THAT ARE IN PLACE UNDER YOUR APPLICANT TRACKING THAT YOU HAVE FOR LASER FISH ARE COMPLETELY ADEQUATE.
COULD YOU BUY MORE BELLS AND WHISTLES? ABSOLUTELY.
YOU COULD PUT YOUR PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT, MEANING YOUR EVALUATIONS INTO THE SAME PLATFORMS. BUT AS THEY SIT THEY'RE HIGH FUNCTION, THEY'RE JUST NOT BEING USED THAT WAY.
AND PART OF IT IS IS THAT WHEN YOU BROUGHT ON YOUR APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM,
[00:55:02]
WHAT YOU DID WAS YOU DIDN'T CHANGE THE WAY THE WORK WAS DONE.INSTEAD, YOU JUST TOOK YOUR CURRENT PROCESS AND MADE THE SYSTEM DO YOUR CURRENT PROCESS, RATHER THAN ALLOWING THE SYSTEM TO DRIVE THE WORK TO MAKE IT MORE EFFICIENT.
THAT IS WHERE SOME OF THAT CAME FROM.
SO RIGHT NOW AS IT SITS, YOU'RE IN GOOD, GOOD POSITION.
COULD YOU BUY MORE BELLS AND WHISTLES? YES.
JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, MAY I? REAL QUICK.
SO THE APP TRACK SYSTEM, I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR, SO THE APPLICANT TRACKS SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IN WORKING WITH LASER FISH.
WE DON'T HAVE TO BUY THAT THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND UPGRADE BECAUSE THOSE ARE TWO THINGS, RIGHT? SO JUST FOR CLARITY.
SO IF YOU, LET'S SAY, BUILT OUT A WORKFLOW WITHIN YOUR APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM THAT DID MOST OF YOUR ONBOARDING AND ISSUES YOUR CONTRACT THROUGH, YOU PROBABLY DON'T NEED THE INTEGRATION TO GO OVER TO LASER FISH.
WHAT YOU WILL DO IS HAVE TO HAVE SOMEBODY WITH THE SKILL SET TO GET THE DATA OUT OF ONE SYSTEM AND UPLOAD IT INTO THE NEXT SO YOU DON'T NECESSARILY NEED TO PURCHASE THE BRIDGE.
YOU WOULD BE MORE EFFECTIVE TO JUST USE THE APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM.
WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IS THE DATA IS NOT EVEN GOING INTO A CONTAINER THAT YOU HAVE.
AND SO IF YOU USE THAT IN A WAY, ONE THING YOU COULD DO, YOU COULD JUST LEAVE IT SITTING IN THERE OR AND IT'S ALL CLOUD BASED, RIGHT? SO YOU COULD EITHER JUST LEAVE IT SITTING IN THERE OR IF YOU EVER GOT TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU COULD HAVE AN HR ANALYST OR A HRIS PERSON WHO'S DOING THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS, THEN THEY'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO THOSE DAILY REPORTS.
WHEN YOU HAVE SOMEBODY IN THE APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM AND THE BEGIN HIRE RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE MANUALLY REENTERING THE DATA IN ORACLE.
WHEREAS IF YOU HAD AN INTEGRATION BUILT OR SOMEBODY WHO KNEW HOW TO PULL THAT DATA AND UPLOAD THE DATA, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO BE MANUALLY ENTERING.
I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR BECAUSE ON THAT SYSTEM, THE UPGRADES THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT WOULD COST US THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR, RIGHT? PLUS WHAT WE'RE PAYING NOW.
YOU'RE SAYING, DON'T DO THAT, THAT WITHIN WE HAVE OUR OWN SYSTEMS THAT WE JUST HAVE TO LOOK TO BRIDGE.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND.
AND NOT JUST THAT I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU NEVER TO MAKE A FINANCIAL DECISION SPEAKERS].
IF YOU LEARN TO USE WHAT YOU HAVE, OK, THERE ARE WAYS TO USE WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE WITHOUT BUYING ANYTHING ELSE THAT COULD PROVE TEN TIMES MORE EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT THAN WHAT YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW.
IT DOES STILL REQUIRE THE WORK THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MOVE DATA FROM ONE SYSTEM TO ANOTHER.
BUT AT LEAST YOU WOULD HAVE THE DATA, RIGHT? RIGHT NOW, IT'S NOT RIGHT NOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING WITH SERVICES.
YEAH, YOU'RE JUST DIGITALLY TAKING A PICTURE AND PUTTING IT IN A DIGITAL FOLDER.
WHEREAS IF YOU'RE USING IT FROM A DATA PERSPECTIVE, LET'S SAY, DR.
LOPEZ, THAT YOU WANT TO KNOW, MAYBE YOU HAVE A CONCERN THAT WE'RE NOT GETTING ENOUGH THREE YEARS ABOVE TEACHERS.
YOU WANT A REPORT OF ALL YOUR THREE YEAR TEACHERS.
OR YOUR THREE YEAR APPLICANTS YOU YOU'RE NOT GETTING THAT RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THEY'RE THE WAY YOUR APP APPLICATION SET UP, THE INFORMATION YOU'RE COLLECTING, THE INFORMATION YOUR APPLICANTS PUTTING INTO THE SYSTEM, IT'S NOT MOVING ANYWHERE ELSE.
AND SO IF YOU BUILT IT OUT CORRECTLY AND YOU LEARN TO USE IT IN THE WAY THAT IT COULD BE USED, YOU'RE YOU'RE AT A VERY GOOD PLACE RIGHT NOW.
NOT TO SAY THAT YOU WOULDN'T GO THERE 300000 LATER.
BUT BUT DOES THAT NOT REQUIRE SOMEBODY ACTUALLY GOING IN AND ENTERING ALL THE DATA? NO.
SO WHAT HAPPENS IS WHEN YOU ORIGINALLY GET SOMEBODY TO APPLY TO YOUR YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, THEY'RE PUTTING THAT DATA INTO THE SYSTEM.
BUT IT PROVIDES US NO ACCESS TO STATISTICS MOVING BACKWARD.
CORRECT THE WAY NOW THAT YOU'VE MOVED IT ALL INTO LASER FISH, YOU ARE CORRECT.
SO YOUR RECOMMENDATION IS IT'S A FORWARD LOOKING ONE, BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO PROVIDE A WHOLE LOT OF ANALYTIC VALUE.
NO, YOU WOULD HAVE TO RESTRUCTURE HOW YOUR FOLDERS ARE BUILT OUT IN THE LASER FISH TO CREATE REPORTING FROM THEM.
AND THE WAY THAT THEY WERE LIKE, IT'S BASICALLY THEY WERE JUST SCANNED IN.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE THE FOLDERS WERE DESIGNED TO PULL THE INFORMATION BACK OUT.
I MEAN, IT'S EFFECTIVELY KIND OF THE EQUIVALENT OF I MEAN, IT WAS ACTUALLY FUNCTIONALLY IS A PDF AS OPPOSED TO LIKE CONTENT RICH.
ANOTHER FOLLOW UP THAT I HAD THAT WE DIDN'T GET TO THE INTERNAL AUDIT WAS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE RECRUITMENT PLAN THAT YOU DISCUSSED.
HOW MUCH, HOW MUCH WHEN YOU'RE CONSIDERING THE RECRUITMENT PLAN, SUGGESTION AND RECOMMENDATION, DID YOU CONSIDER THE COURT ORDER THAT THE GARLAND ISD IS CURRENTLY UNDER? SO I WOULD CALL THAT A GIVEN THAT THAT IS THE MINIMUM THAT YOU ALL SHOULD BE DOING
[01:00:05]
WHEN I'M TALKING ABOUT A RECRUITMENT PLAN.SO, FOR EXAMPLE, I'M WORKING WITH THE DISTRICT THAT THEY ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF DUAL CREDIT TEACHERS.
OK, SO WHAT ARE YOU DOING INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY TO IDENTIFY CANDIDATES WHO COULD BECOME DUAL CREDIT TEACHERS? OK, THOSE RECRUITERS SHOULD BE ABLE TO POOL CERTIFICATIONS OF EVERYBODY IN THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT.
THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO POOL DEGREE LEVELS AND WHAT THE DEGREES ARE IN AND BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY YOUR INTERNAL CANDIDATES.
AND IF WE NEED TO ACCREDIT MATH, THEY SHOULD BE MARKETING OR REACHING OUT TO THOSE DUAL CREDIT MATH PROGRAMS OR MATH GRADUATES TO BRING THEM IN.
SO RIGHT NOW, IT'S NOT EVEN ABOUT YOUR DESEGREGATION ORDER BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE DOING THAT.
YOU'VE DIVERSIFIED WELL OVER THIS LAST FIVE YEARS, BUT WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE IS NO LONGER ABOUT DIVERSITY, AS IT IS ABOUT QUALITY AND SKILL SET.
AND RIGHT NOW, AS YOU'RE LOOKING AT A POPULATION OF STUDENTS WHO MAY NOT BE GROWING BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS, THE NEEDS ARE GROWING.
YOU'RE PROBABLY SEEING MORE SPECIAL ED NUMBERS THAN YOU'VE EVER SEEN.
WHAT ARE WE DOING TO RECRUIT QUALITY SPECIAL ED TEACHERS? THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT FOR RECRUITING.
SO ALLOW ME TO SUMMARIZE AND YOU TELL ME IF I'M KIND OF ON POINT.
THE RECRUITMENT PLAN FOCUSES MORE ON THE NEEDS OF THE INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS, AS OPPOSED TO JUST STATISTICAL NUMBERS.
IDEALLY, THAT'S WHAT IT SHOULD BE.
THAT IS WHAT IT SHOULD BE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING.
MY LAST COMMENT, AND THEN I'LL LET EVERYONE ELSE SPEAK.
IT GOES BACK TO THE PAY EQUITY SECTION YOU WERE MENTIONING, SPECIFICALLY THE FLOATING DOTS YOU ANALYZED SPECIFIC FLOATING DOTS.
YOU SAID ONE HUNDRED JUST IN A FAIRLY SMALL SAMPLE ONE.
DID YOU BREAK DOWN TO SEE WHY THOSE PEOPLE WERE FLOATING? BECAUSE WERE THEY INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD EXISTING CONTRACTS AND MAYBE GOT MOVED FROM A CERTAIN JOB AND WE CAN'T LEGALLY CUT THEIR PAY UNTIL SUCH TIME, THEIR CONTRACT EXPIRES WHEN PRESUMABLY THEY'LL PROBABLY BE SEPARATED FROM THE DISTRICT? AND HOW MUCH OF THEM WERE BUS DRIVERS? BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE ANOTHER AREA I THINK WOULD BE A FLOATER.
SO TO ANSWER YOUR FIRST QUESTION, I THINK SOME OF IT IS JUST INADVERTENTLY NOT FOLLOWING BACK THROUGH AND READJUSTING THE SALARIES.
SO SOMEBODY GETS REASSIGNED, THEY MAY.
WE MAY BE WAITING FOR THE END OF THE CONTRACT.
THEN SOMEBODY FORGOT TO GO BACK AND LOOK, BUT PREDOMINANTLY THEY WERE NOT IN CONTRACTUAL POSITIONS.
SO IT WAS EITHER AN EFFORT TO REUTILIZE A PERSON IN A DIFFERENT AREA OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THEN THE PAY JUST WASN'T CORRECTED.
NORMALLY, I WOULD NOTIFY THEM THAT WE WILL EXTEND THIS TO THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR, BUT AFTER THAT IT'S GONE.
SOMEBODY HAS TO REMEMBER TO GO BACK AND DO THAT WHEN YOU ONLY HAD ONE PERSON KEEPING, YOU KNOW, A LOG, THAT'S THAT'S A DIFFICULT THING.
BUT SPEAKING TO YOUR OTHER AREA, THERE ARE SOME INEQUITIES.
IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF DIFFERENTIAL OR PAY SALARY ADJUSTMENTS, SO FOR EXAMPLE, YOU HAVE SOME CDL DRIVERS IN YOUR DISTRICT THAT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR PAY DIFFERENTIAL THAT OTHER EMPLOYEES WHO ARE ALSO CDL REQUIRED DRIVERS FOR YOUR DISTRICT, NOT DRIVING BUSSES ARE NOT GETTING THAT.
AND SO THAT CREATES INEQUITY BECAUSE THEY'RE IN THE SAME PAY BAND, BUT BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING A CERTAIN TYPE OF WORK.
I DID FIND THAT IN SOME SCENARIOS, YOU EVEN HAVE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE NOT DRIVING.
THEY ARE GETTING THE PAY DIFFERENTIAL BECAUSE THEY JUST HOLD THIS LICENSE.
SO AGAIN, TIGHTENING THOSE TYPES OF THINGS UP WILL HELP EASE UP ON SOME OF THAT COMPRESSION.
BUT REALLY, COMPRESSION PRIMARILY IS IN PLACE BECAUSE PAY BANDS DIDN'T MOVE WITH THE ECONOMY.
IT DIDN'T MOVE WITH THE COST OF LIVING.
IT DIDN'T MOVE WITH WHAT OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE DOING.
SO AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, AT A MINIMUM, DON'T WAIT OVER THREE YEARS.
LOOK AT WHERE THE PAY BANDS ARE AND MAKE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS WELL.
AND TO BE FAIR, IN THE REPORT, IT SAYS WE ARE WITHIN THE SCOPE OF BOTH REGION 10 AND OTHERWISE.
BUT I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO END UP WITH OUTLIERS, AS YOU PUT IT, SOMETIMES WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR PAY BASED ON FROM THE MIDPOINT, BECAUSE IF SOMEONE'S AN OUTLIER AND YOU MAKE YOUR PAY RAISES BASED ON THE MIDPOINT, THEY'RE GOING TO REMAIN AN OUTLIER BECAUSE THE WHOLE THING JUST MOVES.
AND YOU'RE YOU DON'T HAVE ANY PAYROLLS.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, ARE YOU GIVING A FULL YEAR'S CREDIT, A HALF A YEAR'S CREDIT, A THIRD OF THE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, WHAT'S CALLED CREDIBLE EXPERIENCE TO CALCULATING THE PAY AND WHEN YOU DON'T SET THOSE CALCULATIONS CORRECTLY.
SO LET'S SAY YOU WORKED AT TACO BELL, THE NEXT PERSON WORKED AT TACO BELL.
WE GAVE YOU FULL ONE TO ONE CREDIT AND WE GAVE YOU HALF TO CREDIT.
[01:05:02]
BAM, YOU'VE GOT COMPRESSION.AND BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE FORMAL PAYROLLS IN PLACE, PROBABLY SOME OF THAT HAS HAPPENED.
BUT JUST FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE WATCHING THIS MEETING, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE IT'S VERY CLEAR NO ONE AT GIBSON IS SUGGESTING THAT OUR PAY IS LIKE, WOEFULLY INADEQUATE COMPARED TO OUR PEER DISTRICTS OR ANY THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
WE'RE COMPETITIVE AND WE OFFER MARKET BASED PAY.
YES, I DON'T WANT TO BEAT THE APPLICANT TRACKING TO DEATH, BUT I MUST ASK THIS QUESTION.
WHAT I HEARD YOU SAY IS THAT WE DIDN'T GET FULLY TRAINED ON THE APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM ITSELF.
ALL WE LOOKED WAS FOR POSSIBLY AN AUTOMATION OF OUR PROCESSES.
SO IF IF THAT IS CORRECT TO ME, WHETHER WE UPGRADE OR WHETHER WE WRITE INTERNALLY AND INTERFACE FROM ONE SYSTEM TO ANOTHER, WHICH WE HAVE CAPABLE TECHNICIANS THAT CAN DO THAT FOR THE INTEGRATION PROCESS, YOU'RE SUGGESTING THAT WE HAVE TO LEARN ALL OF THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE SYSTEM.
AND IF YOU LEARN THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE SYSTEM AND UNDERSTAND THAT, THEN YOU CAN ADJUST YOUR DAILY WORKFLOW AND PAPER FLOW TO FIX THAT.
SO TO ME, WHAT I HEARD WAS A COMPLETE RETRAIN TO BETTER UTILIZE THE SYSTEM AND SPECIFICALLY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE EASE AND THE QUICKNESS OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE CAN GET OUT.
SO DID I GET THAT OR DID I MISS THAT? YOU ARE PARTIALLY CORRECT.
IT IS DEFINITELY THERE IS NOT A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO USE THE SYSTEM AS IT'S DESIGNED.
ANYBODY WHO'S IN THERE DOESN'T REALLY KNOW HOW TO PULL REPORTS OUT.
THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOOK FOR CERTAIN THINGS IN THE SYSTEM.
YOU HAVE PEOPLE WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT THAT CAN'T EVEN SEE A RESUME WHO ARE HIRING THESE PEOPLE.
YOU HAVE PEOPLE IN THE DEPARTMENT THAT CANNOT SEE WHO WAS INTERVIEWED FOR POSITIONS.
SO THERE'S SECURITY ISSUES IN THERE THAT AGAIN, AS YOU REVISIT THE JOB DESCRIPTIONS, YOUR HR DEPARTMENT SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE EVERYTHING IN APPLICANT TRACKING.
BUT RIGHT NOW, THE WAY IT'S STRUCTURED, IT'S LITERALLY TURNED OFF AND ON WHEN THEY ARE PROCESSING HIRE.
BUT AGAIN, THAT'S TRAINING, INSTALLING A SYSTEM TO SATISFY THE USER'S NEEDS BASED ON THE SETTINGS AND SECURITY.
SO I JUST WANT US TO NOT JUST GLOSS OVER THAT IN DEPTH TRAINING AND YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD TAKE CARE OF THAT, OK? AND YOUR EXPLANATION WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE POSITIONS THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF THE BOARD AUTHORITY CAN NOT AUTHORITY.
PAY GRADES, THAT'S IN OUR HANDBOOK OR PAY SCALE BOOKLET.
TELL WHAT'S YOUR THOUGHTS OF HOW WE GOT THERE? DO YOU TIE ALL OF THAT TO THE FACT THAT WE HAD OUTDATED JOB DESCRIPTIONS? OR WAS IT ABOUT HOW WE HAVE THE FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT? OR IS IT BECAUSE HR IS NOT CONNECTED TO THE PAYING AND THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT IS TOTALLY IN CHARGE OF THAT? HOW WHAT DID YOU SEE, WHAT'S YOUR SAMPLES? YEAH.
SO AGAIN, IT'S GOING TO BE BACK TO HOW SALARIES ARE CALCULATED.
YOU ONLY HAVE ONE PERSON DOING IT.
YOU ALSO HAVE SCENARIOS WHERE PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED OUT OF A PAY BAND, BUT THEY'RE NOT CHANGING POSITIONS.
SO YOU HAVE SOME EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE BEEN SECRETARIES OR CLERKS FOR A VERY, VERY LONG TIME AND THEY HAVE EXCEEDED THEIR THEIR PAY BAND.
WE NEVER CHANGE THE RANGE OF THE SALARY OR MOVE THEM.
YOU HAVE, BUT THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO STAY IN THE DISTRICT.
SO YOU'VE GOT PEOPLE WITH LOTS OF EXPERIENCE IN SOME SCENARIOS.
BUT THE FLOATING DOTS, THAT'S USUALLY AGAIN BECAUSE OF A REASSIGNMENT AND OR THAT AN INDIVIDUAL WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CUT OFF DIDN'T GET CUT OFF.
[01:10:03]
YOU HIT ON IT WITH THE EMPLOYEE RELATIONS, AND THANK YOU FOR SO ELOQUENTLY STATING THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH PEOPLE AND NOT HERDS OF WHATEVER.EXPLAIN HOW MUCH AN EMPLOYEE RELATION INVOLVEMENT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THE CULTURE OF A DISTRICT AND THAT MANY EMPLOYEES JUST HAVE QUESTIONS BUT WON'T COME TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE BECAUSE OF WHATEVER THEIR SUPERVISOR IS GOING TO BE CALLED SEVERAL DIFFERENT THINGS.
SO CAN YOU JUST GIVE SOME ADDITIONAL POINTS ON HOW THAT INFLUENCES THE CULTURE AND THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT? SO OUR WORK DID NOT NECESSARILY EVALUATE THE CULTURE OF THE DISTRICT AS IT SITS.
FIRST, WE WE WOULDN'T HAVE SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE TO WHAT IS THE EXISTING CULTURE.
IF YOU'RE ASKING HOW COULD EMPLOYEE RELATIONS SERVE A CULTURE EITHER TO PROPAGATE IT OR HURT IT, YOU KNOW, THAT IS, YOU DEFINITELY CAN USE A POSITION LIKE THAT TO AGAIN BE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN CAMPUS AND CENTRAL OFFICE TO MAKE SURE THAT EMPLOYEES ARE BEING WELL CONNECTED, MEANING THAT WHEN THEY COME TO THE DISTRICT, DO THEY KNOW THE HISTORY OF THE DISTRICT? DO THEY KNOW THE VISION AND MISSION OF THE DISTRICT BEFORE WE EVEN DEPLOY THEM TO THE CAMPUS? DO THEY KNOW WHAT A GARLAND ISD TEACHER SHOULD STRIVE TO BE? THAT CAN BE OWNED BY HUMAN RESOURCES.
EMPLOYEE RELATIONS CAN ALSO BE CONNECTED TO ALL YOUR BABY TEACHERS.
YOU KNOW YOUR MENTOR PROGRAMS, MAKING SURE THAT THEIR FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE IS FANTASTIC.
NOT JUST FOR HEY, WHO DO I CALL FOR, YOU KNOW, TO GET MY PAYCHECK LOOKED AT, BUT ALSO JUST THAT COMFORTABLE PERSON.
WHO DO YOU GO TALK TO WHEN YOU WANT TO ELEVATE? MAYBE I DON'T WANT TO BE A TEACHER ANYMORE.
WHO DO I GO TALK TO WHEN I WANT TO PURSUE ADMINISTRATION? WHO DO I GO TALK TO TO, YOU KNOW, PURSUE HOW ELSE I COULD SERVE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OTHER THAN BEING IN THE CLASSROOM? AND SO THAT EMPLOYEE RELATIONS PERSON WOULD THEN START CONSIDERING A LOT OF THAT TYPE OF WORK ACTING AS A LIAISON.
IT'S AN EXCELLENT COMMUNICATIONS TOOL FOR THE DISTRICT.
BUT AGAIN, WE DID NOT EVALUATE THE CULTURE OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
SO MY LAST QUESTION DEALS WITH THE FACT THAT EVERY YEAR WHEN WE'RE PREPARING BUDGETS, WE GET EQUITY ADJUSTMENTS AND I THINK WE GET THE TASB SALARY RECOMMENDATION, SURVEY, UPDATE, WHATEVER IT'S CALLED.
SO ARE YOU SAYING WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT AND WE LOOK AT SOME OF IT OR WE DON'T MAKE THE TOTAL DISTRICT CHANGES THAT ARE BASICALLY NEEDED FOR THAT? AND SO IS THAT CREATING THE DIFFERENTIAL IN PAY? BECAUSE SOME THINGS AND MAYBE I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S DEPARTMENTS, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S DIVISIONS.
I MEAN, I KNOW WE'VE GOT A DETAILED REPORT, BUT WHAT'S YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? SO THAT IS ACCURATE.
YOU DO RECEIVE HEALTHY FEEDBACK FROM TASB WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR [INAUDIBLE].
IT IS NOT NECESSARILY IMPLEMENTED WHEN IT IS BEING RECOMMENDED, AND THAT'S NORMAL.
YOU KNOW, SOME YEARS YOU MAY BE ABLE TO, SOME YEARS YOU CAN'T, BUT THERE SHOULD BE A PROCESS BY WHICH THERE IS, LIKE WE STATED EARLIER, AN ACTION PLAN OR STATUS REPORTING SO THAT THOSE THINGS CAN BE REVISITED.
MAYBE WE DIDN'T DO IT THIS YEAR, BUT LET'S REVISIT IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR.
AND SO YES, YOU ARE CORRECT RECOMMENDATIONS ARE COMING FORWARD, BUT THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY BEING IMPLEMENTED.
THANK YOU AND POINT OF CLARIFICATION ON ON HOW WE DO THAT.
SO TYPICALLY MY UNDERSTANDING IS, LET'S SAY WE GIVE A IMMA USE A ROUND NUMBER THAT WE'VE USED TWO PERCENT RAISE, RIGHT? SO ON ON AN EMPLOYEE, WE'RE PAYING FROM THE MIDPOINT.
SO TECHNICALLY TO UPDATE IT, WE SHOULD GIVE THEM ON ON THE NEW SCALE THAT COMES OUT, WE SHOULD DIVIDE THAT BY TWO AND PUT ONE PERCENT AT THE BOTTOM.
SO THE BOTTOM MOVES UP AND THE TOP MOVES UP, SO THE WHOLE SCALE MOVES UP.
IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO? ARE YOU REFERRING TO SOMETHING DIFFERENT? SO WHAT I'M REFERRING TO IS SO YOUR COMPRESSION AGAIN IS CAUSED MORE THAN LIKELY BECAUSE THERE WAS NOT HEALTHY FORMULAS USE STANDARDIZED WHEN SOMEBODY IS BEING HIRED.
[01:15:01]
AND SO WHATEVER COMPRESSION IS THERE, IT WOULD NOT JUST BE ABOUT GIVING THE ANNUAL INCREASE.IT WOULD BE THAT WE NEED TO NOT ONLY GIVE THIS INDIVIDUAL AN INCREASE, WE ALSO NEED TO GIVE THEM AN EQUITY ADJUSTMENT ABOVE THAT TO BRING THEM UP TO WHERE THEY SHOULD BE AND THEN NOT GIVE IT TO ANOTHER PERSON SO THAT THEY DON'T GO FURTHER.
YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T CREATE MORE OF A COMPRESSION.
SO IT'S NOT ABOUT THE ANNUAL INCREASE, IT'S ABOUT THE EQUITY ADJUSTMENT.
BUT I'M ALSO TALKING ABOUT THE COMPRESSION FOR THE OUTLIERS WITHIN THE THE THE MID AND MAX.
IF YOU DON'T MOVE THAT, THEN PEOPLE ARE GOING TO MOVE OUT OF THE MAX MODE AND BE IN COMPRESSION.
SO WE'RE WE DOING THAT CALCULATION? YEAH, OK, THAT IS IN PLAY.
AGAIN, YOU ARE VERY COMPETITIVE HERE WITH YOUR PAY SCALES THEY'RE WHERE THEY SHOULD BE.
IT'S JUST THERE'S SOME TWEAKING THAT NEEDS TO TAKE PLACE WITH INDIVIDUALS AND THOSE PAY RATES.
I WAS GOING TO ASK, AREN'T YOU SEEING TOO, THOUGH IN THE OUTLYING AND THE BUBBLES OUTSIDE THE COST OF LIVING AND THE THE INDUSTRY STANDARDS IN THE MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT, IN THOSE AREAS WHERE YOU'RE HAVING TO MEET THOSE STANDARDS ARE A LOT OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THEY'RE IN THE PAIR INSIDE OF IT IS A FAIR STATEMENT.
YOU DO HAVE SOME THAT ARE GETTING THOSE DIFFERENTIALS BECAUSE THEY REQUIRE ADDITIONAL CERTIFICATIONS OR THEY WERE SUCH A HARD TO FILL POSITION OK, ONE OTHER QUESTION I WANT TO ASK.
I GUESS IT GOES BACK TO GREG ON THE AUDIT SCOPE ON THE STAFFING SIDE.
THERE'S A TERM IN THERE THAT JUST KEEPS BOUNCING BACK TO ME, AND THAT'S TIMELINES.
AND WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TIMELINES AND WHEN WE'RE AGAIN START THE BUDGET PROCESS AGAIN IN THE END OF FEBRUARY.
AND HERE WE GO AGAIN ON DOING OUR BUDGET, AND WE WERE STILL FIGHTING THAT EVEN AFTER JULY 1ST, NOT GETTING ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WE NEEDED AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME, EVEN THOUGH OUR DEPARTMENT WAS REALLY DOING HIS JOB AND DOING IT WELL.
SO HOW DO YOU TIE YOUR STAFFING AND THE TIMELINE FOR THEM TO GET STARTED AND FOR THEM TO CONTINUE TO GET GOOD RECRUITMENT WHEN THEY DON'T REALLY KNOW WHERE? AND YOU'RE SAYING WE'RE GOING TO OFFER YOU THIS KIND OF SALARY IN, YOU KNOW, IN A TIME FRAME THAT WE CAN GET THOSE QUALITY PEOPLE BECAUSE TEACHING IN THIS INDUSTRY IS BECOMING VERY COMPETITIVE AND IT'S BECOMING MORE PEOPLE ARE NOT COMING INTO EDUCATION.
AND SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE THE EDGE OF CUTTING EDGE OF BEING ABLE TO TIE THOSE TWO DEPARTMENTS TOGETHER TO HELP OUR HR DEPARTMENT IN ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP US WHERE WE NEED TO START THAT TIMELINE EITHER EARLIER OR WHATEVER WE NEED TO DO, SO THAT IN THE CALLBACKS OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE, SO THAT WE ARE DOING OUR JOB AS A BOARD TO APPROVE JUST LIKE WE HAD WHEN WE HAD TO APPROVE 36 NEW DYSLEXIA TEACHERS BECAUSE WE WERE SHORT IN THAT AREA, JUST LIKE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN SPECIAL ED AND WHERE THAT HAS GROWN TO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO THERE.
SO THAT'S GOING TO HELP OUR RECRUITMENT BECAUSE THE RECRUITERS THAT ARE OUT THERE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO GO AFTER THAT SCOPE OF THOSE TYPE OF INDIVIDUALS.
AND HOW CAN WE TIE THAT TOGETHER? THAT'S KIND OF A BROAD QUESTION, I GUESS.
WELL, ELAINE TALKED ABOUT THAT EARLIER ABOUT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT AND FINANCE ACTUALLY STARTS THE PROCESS BEFORE WHEN HUMAN RESOURCES SHOULD REALLY BE AT THE BEGINNING OF THAT PROCESS AND IT SHOULD BE A CONNECTED PROCESS.
FINANCE DOES THEIRS BEFORE HR IS REALLY COMPLETE WITH THEIRS, AND THEN THEY HAVE TO RECONCILE THE DIFFERENCES.
AND SO IF IT'S A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS, AGAIN, A BETTER DEFINED PROCESS.
I THINK ELAINE'S POINT, I'LL LET HER SUPPLEMENT THE RESPONSE.
BUT HR HAS TO BE INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEED BASED STAFF STAFFING FORMULAS WHICH WHICH ARE DISCUSSED AND STARTING THAT PROCESS AND COLLABORATION WITH THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT.
SO THAT THAT PART OF THE TIMELINE, WE'RE CONNECTED AND WE'RE IN SYNC, AND THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE FINANCIAL ASSUMPTIONS THAT ARE GOING TO CHANGE THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN YOU CAN AGAIN MANAGE THROUGH YOUR POSITIONS.
AGAIN, IF YOU GET YOUR OFFERS OUT AND YOU GET COMMITMENTS BACK, YOU CAN YOU CAN STOP THE PROCESS.
IF THERE'S A FINANCIAL ASSUMPTION THAT YOU MADE, THAT'S NO LONGER VALID.
BUT I'LL LET SEE IF ELAINE HAS ANY SUPPLEMENTAL, BUT THAT'S THE CONNECTION, THE CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THE TWO DEPARTMENTS.
BECAUSE I CAN SEE WHERE THE THE IT AREA WHERE WE'RE GOING TO REALLY HAVE TO THAT DATA IS SO IMPORTANT FOR THE RECRUITERS THAT ARE GOING OUT TO THE COLLEGE CAMPUSES OR WHEREVER THEY'RE GOING TO RECRUIT NEW CANDIDEATES OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE, THAT THEY HAD THAT DATA VERY QUICKLY, ESPECIALLY RIGHT AFTER THE FIRST OF THE YEAR.
BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO I MEAN, WE'RE FILLING POSITIONS IN DAILY ANYWAY.
[01:20:01]
SO WHAT I DID NOT OBSERVE, WHICH I WAS VERY SURPRISED ABOUT, BUT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT CALCULATION FORMULAS FOR SALARY.IT'S ABOUT STAFFING GUIDELINES FOR PROGRAMS, DEPARTMENTS, CAMPUSES.
THEY'RE WHAT YOU HAVE IN PLACE IS VERY LIMITED.
AND THAT'S THEREIN LIES PART OF THE PROBLEM BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE THAT SITUATION EVERY YEAR.
GIVE ME, GIVE ME, GIVE ME WHEN REALLY THE QUESTION SHOULD BE THE STANDARD IS THIS.
NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU NEED OUTSIDE OF THE STANDARD, AND ESPECIALLY IN A DISTRICT THAT IS EITHER HAVING TO CONSOLIDEATE PROGRAMS, RELOCATE PROGRAMS INTO ONE CAMPUS OR THAT YOU'RE DOWNSIZING AND SOME OF YOUR CAMPUSES.
HAVING A STAFFING GUIDELINE IN PLACE THAT THIS IS OUR STANDARD AND THIS IS OUR PLAN.
SHOULD WE HAVE TO REDUCE STAFF OR INCREASE STAFF.
IT IS LITERALLY A YEAR FOR YEAR.
YOU KNOW, GOING INTO THE THUNDER DOME ASKING FOR THOSE [INAUDIBLE].
FIRST, THANK YOU FOR THE REPORT.
I WASN'T SURE WHAT TO EXPECT, BUT I THINK IT WAS ACTUALLY A TREMENDOUS JOB YOU DID.
THE THINGS THAT I LOOKED FOR THAT I FEEL REALLY GOOD ABOUT OUR DISTRICT.
IS YOUR ANALYSIS NOT ONLY OF REGION 10, BUT COMPETITIVE DISTRICTS, NOT JUST IN THE AREA BUT AROUND THE STATE.
AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT AND ONE OF THE THINGS YOU HIGHLIGHTED WAS LONGEVITY.
I THINK DISTRICTS AND WE'RE DOING VERY, VERY WELL WITH LONGEVITY TEACHERS IN THAT IN THAT HIGHER BRACKET WHO HAVE BEEN HERE A LONG TIME BECOME SUPER TEACHERS.
MASTER TEACHERS, TEACH THE TEACHERS THAT ARE COMING IN AND WE'RE DOING VERY WELL THERE.
SO THAT'S VERY WE'RE DOING VERY WELL THERE.
TURN OVER DOING WELL AND PAY RATES AGAIN.
NOT ONLY DID YOU LOOK AT IN THE AREA, BUT YOU LOOKED AT IN THE STATE.
SO I THINK WE'RE DOING WELL THERE ALSO, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS THE MOST DISAPPOINTING TO ME IN THE REPORT AND WE TALKED ABOUT IT.
I'M ALSO ON THE AUDIT COMMITTEE WITH MR. JOHNSON, AND THE CHAIR WAS IN THE FIRST FEW WORDS YOU SAID THAT WE LOOKED AT TWENTY FIVE PERSONNEL RECORDS AND I SAID, THAT'S ALL.
BUT THEN AS YOU TALKED ABOUT THE TWENTY FIVE PERSONNEL RECORDS, TWENTY FOUR OF THE TWENTY FIVE, TWENTY FOUR OF TWENTY FIVE WERE INCOMPLETE.
NINETY SIX PERCENT OF OUR REPORTS WERE INCOMPLETE.
AND FROM SOMEONE WHO'S DONE WORK IN UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE, THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT WAS REALLY FRIGHTENING.
AND IF I WAS GOING TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO STAFF, THAT WOULD BE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK WE HAVE TO CLEAN UP THE MOST QUICKLY BECAUSE THAT LEADS TO POTENTIAL LAWSUITS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
I THINK ALL YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE VERY, VERY SOUND.
WHEN WE HAD THE THE AUDIT COMMITTEE, WE DIDN'T HAVE STAFF'S RECOMMENDATIONS AT THAT TIME.
I THINK SOME OF THEM ARE, AS DR.
LOPEZ HAS ALREADY STATED, FAIRLY EXPENSIVE TO IMPLEMENT.
AND THAT'LL BE SOMETHING THAT THIS BOARD WILL HAVE TO TALK ABOUT AS WE GET REPORT BACK FROM STAFF TO DO WHAT YOU SAID.
AND I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING YOU RECOMMENDED THAT WE SHOULD NOT BE DOING.
I THINK WE SHOULD BE DOING EVERYTHING YOU RECOMMENDED, RECOMMENDED, BUT THEN THE QUESTION WILL BE WHAT THE COST AND WE'LL HAVE TO GET THAT FROM STAFF.
SO THANK YOU AND THANK YOU, SIR.
WHEN YOU STARTED OUT THEIR PRESENTATION, YOU TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THEIR OTHER DISTRICTS THAT HAVE SIMILAR SITUATIONS AS WHAT YOU GUYS FOUND WHEN YOU WENT THROUGH THE AUDIT HERE AND JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, HOW OFTEN SHOULD DISTRICTS PERFORM AUDITS LIKE THIS ? THE MOST, MOST OF OUR PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE INVOLVED WITH, THERE IS AN AUDIT THAT TAKES PLACE AND THEN USUALLY WITHIN A YEAR OR TWO, THERE'S A FOLLOW UP AUDIT THAT TAKES PLACE, AND A FOLLOW UP AUDIT SOMETIMES DOESN'T EVEN NEED TO OCCUR IF THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION CAN DEMONSTRATE THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE IMPLEMENTED.
AND THERE'S ACTUAL MECHANISMS TO TRACK PROGRESS OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS SO THAT IF THE RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED, YOU SEE EVIDENCE OF THEM BEING IMPLEMENTED.
YOU MAY NOT NEED TO DO A FOLLOW UP AUDIT.
IF THERE'S NOT SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE OR IF THEY REPORT LATE PROGRESS OR DELAYED PROGRESS THAT MIGHT ESCALATE THE NEED FOR A FOLLOW UP AUDIT.
AND WHAT A FOLLOW UP AUDIT DOES IS GO BACK, AND IT PRIMARILY FOCUSES ONLY ON
[01:25:05]
THE IMPLEMENTATION STATUS OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE IN THE PRIOR AUDIT.BUT DURING THAT PROCESS, THEY MAY DISCOVER OTHER THINGS THAT MIGHT PROMPT THE NEED FOR A RE-AUDIT IN THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO YEARS.
GENERALLY, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DO A FULL BLOWN AUDIT OF A DEPARTMENT MORE THAN EVERY FOUR OR FIVE YEARS, UNLESS THERE ARE RECURRING INDICATORS THAT THAT INDICATE THAT THERE'S RISK FACTORS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN ADDRESSED.
SO THE RISK ASSESSMENT THAT WE DID LAST YEAR FOR YOU, THAT'S USUALLY DONE EVERY FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS, BUT EVERY YEAR THAT RISK ASSESSMENT IS REVISITED.
IF YOUR EMPLOYEE TURNOVER WERE TO INCREASE 50 PERCENT, THEN WE MIGHT WANT TO LOOK AT HUMAN RESOURCES AGAIN AND MAYBE DO A TARGETED AUDIT ON TURNOVER.
AND SO BUT BUT NORMALLY YOU SHOULDN'T NEED TO DO DEPARTMENT WIDE AUDIT OF A DEPARTMENT MORE THAN EVERY FIVE YEARS.
OKAY, THAT WAS HELPFUL BECAUSE THE REASON FOR THE QUESTION WAS IT SEEMED LIKE YOU GUYS WERE SURPRISED OF SOME OF THE FINDINGS THAT YOU FOUND.
AND I'M JUST WONDERING, LIKE, HOW LONG HAD THAT BEEN HAPPENING? BECAUSE, I MEAN, SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD, I THINK THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE'VE EVER AUDITED THE HR DEPARTMENT, AND SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS.
HOW THAT HOW THAT HAPPENED AND WHAT WHAT KEPT US FROM DOING THIS MUCH SOONER? THE NEXT THING WHEN YOU GOT TO THE KPIS AND YOU HAVE HERE THAT THE LACK OF KPIS AND NOT HAVING THEM HERE AND YOU LISTED SEVERAL METRICS THAT YOU THOUGHT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
WHO COMES UP WITH THE NUMBERS AND HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHAT'S GOING TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR A PARTICULAR ORGANIZATION? IF WE HAVEN'T DONE THIS PREVIOUSLY, WHO WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE THAT OURS WERE WHAT THEY NEEDED TO BE FOR OUR DISTRICT TO BE ABLE TO MONITOR FOR EFFECTIVENESS? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
WE ACTUALLY INCLUDE IN THE REPORT SOME IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS ON HOW YOU DEFINE THE DATA YOU HAVE TO DEFINE WITH A LOT OF RIGIDITY IF IT'S A DATE AND TIME.
WHAT DAY ARE YOU GOING TO COLLECT IT? IT'S GOING TO BE THE PEIMS SUBMISSION DATE IN THE FALL.
IS IT GOING TO BE A DIFFERENT DATE? YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU DEFINE THE DATA AND THE SOURCE OF THAT DATA, SO YOU'RE GETTING THE EXACT SAME DATA EVERY YEAR.
AND THEN YOU HAVE A PROCESS FOR COLLECTING IT, FOR VALIDEATING IT, FOR ANALYZING IT, THE CALCULATION OF THE METRICS.
ALL OF THESE STEPS ARE LAID OUT IN THE REPORT, BUT IT'S USUALLY BENEFICIAL IF THIS IS A DISTRICT WIDE EFFORT, WHICH WE THINK IT SHOULD BE THAT YOU DON'T, YOU DON'T HAVE SOMEONE IN HR.
OBVIOUSLY, A LOT OF THE INFORMATION WILL BE COMING FROM HR, BUT IT'S IT'S BETTER IF YOU HAVE A CENTRAL DATA COLLECTION POINT AND ALL THE DATA FROM ALL THE DEPARTMENTS THAT'S COLLECTED THROUGH THAT.
AND THEN IT'S REPORTED OUT TO THE DEPARTMENTS SO THEY CAN REVIEW THE DATA.
THEY CAN LOOK AT IT TO SEE IF, WAIT A MINUTE, THIS DOESN'T.
THAT'S CALLED REASONABLENESS TESTING.
OR THERE MIGHT BE SOME OTHER DATA INTEGRITY CONTROLS THAT YOU CAN IMPLEMENT, BUT THEN HAVE THE DEPARTMENT'S FOCUS ON ANALYZING THE DATA AND FIGURING OUT WHAT IT MEANS.
SO IF YOU HAVE EVERY DEPARTMENT COLLECTING THEIR OWN DATA AND VALIDEATING THEIR OWN DATA, IT CAN.
IT CAN GET KIND OF MESSY BECAUSE NOT EVERYBODY'S GOING TO APPLY THE SAME RIGID DATA STANDARDS THAT SOME MIGHT BE USING A FALL OCTOBER END OF OCTOBER SNAPSHOT.
ANOTHER DEPARTMENT MIGHT BE USING THE SPRING DATA.
AND SO THE MORE YOU SINCE YOU NEED TO DO THIS DISTRICT WIDE, THE MORE YOU CAN CENTRALIZE THE COORDINATION OF THAT, THE BETTER.
THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? YEAH, IT DID.
AND LAST QUESTION, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE EMPLOYEE RELATIONS PIECE.
YOU SAID THAT IT APPEARED TO BE THAT OUR ENVIRONMENT WAS MORE FEAR BASED.
I THOUGHT THAT WAS REALLY AN INTERESTING OBSERVATION, AND I WAS GOING THROUGH SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU GUYS MADE.
AND SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS ABOUT HOW DO YOU TRANSFORM THAT PERSPECTIVE BECAUSE THERE WERE NO RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND THAT THAT I COULD RECALL.
SO JUST CURIOUS HOW YOU GO ABOUT DOING THAT? YEAH.
I MEAN, I THINK PART OF ELAINE'S COMMENTS WERE ABOUT THE TRANSITION OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS OF OLD TO THE EMPLOYEE RELATIONS OF NEW AND NOT NECESSARILY SPECIFIC TO TO GARLAND ISD.
BUT I THINK GARLAND ISD IS STILL IN THE MODE OF KIND OF THE OLD SCHOOL OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS, AND THERE'S NOT ANY ACTIVITIES THAT ARE DRIVING POSITIVE THINGS THAT
[01:30:01]
NEED TO COME OUT OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS.AND SO I THINK THERE ARE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS THE ACTUAL ESTABLISHMENT OF AN EMPLOYEE RELATIONS FUNCTION ON THE ORGANIZATION CHART AND DEFINING THAT JOB DESCRIPTION IS INCLUDING ALL OF THESE ROLES, NOT JUST THE RECEIVER OF GRIEVANCES, BUT THE OUTWARD COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACH TOWARD EMPLOYEES ABOUT THE THINGS ELAINE MENTIONED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HELPING ADDRESS EMPLOYEE NEEDS AS OPPOSED TO BEING THE WHO YOU CALL WHEN THERE'S A PROBLEM.
SO A LOT OF THIS IS MORE THE KIND OF THE TREND OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS ACTIVITIES OVER TIME.
AND AGAIN, GARLAND ISD HAS NOT MOVED TO THAT NEW SPOT YET, AND WE WANT TO HELP GIVE THEM A PATH TO DO TO DO JUST THAT.
DID I CHARACTERIZE THAT OK? THANK YOU.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I JUST HAVE A COUPLE.
GREG, I THINK YOU COMMENT ABOUT, I THINK YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT OUR TIMES AND OUR LAG AND WE WANTED TO BE BETTER THAN THE NORMS. IS THERE DATA WITHIN THAT REPORT ABOUT WHAT THE NORMS WOULD BE, WHAT WE'RE SHOOTING FOR HERE? WITH THE KPIS? YES.
THE PROBLEM WITH COMPARATIVE KPIS IS DISTRICT ONE, DISTRICT THREE, DISTRICT FIVE MIGHT NOT HAVE THE SAME KPIS.
THERE'S NO NATIONAL OR NO STATE DATA STANDARDS FOR KPIS.
YOUR MOST VALUABLE USE OF THOSE IS GOING TO BE A TREND ANALYSIS WHERE YOU CAN ACTUALLY SHOW IMPROVEMENT.
THERE ARE SOME INDUSTRY STANDARDS FOR SOME MEASURES.
WE'VE INCLUDED SOME IN THE REPORT.
THE SOCIETY OF HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT HAS SOME STAFF RATIOS FOR HOW BIG YOUR HR DEPARTMENT SHOULD BE, BUT SOME HR DEPARTMENT.
NOT ALL HR DEPARTMENTS LOOK ALIKE.
SOME HAVE BENEFITS AS PART OF HR, SOME HAVE BENEFITS THAT ARE SEPARATE, SO YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL IN COMPARING.
SO WE DON'T DRAW ANY CONCLUSIONS FROM THOSE BENCHMARKS, BUT THE TREND ANALYSIS WILL BE THE MOST BENEFICIAL, AND IN CERTAIN CASES, SOME INDUSTRY STANDARDS WILL BE APPLICABLE AND CAN BE USED.
AND I THINK SPECIFICALLY THE COMMENT I WANT TO BE BETTER THAN NORM WAS UNDER THE GISD TIME TO HIRE LAG THAT WE HAVE.
AND THEN THERE WAS A COMMENT MADE ABOUT SOME DISTRICT THAT CAN DO IT IN 20 MINUTES, MAYBE.
AND I'M ASSUMING THAT 20 MINUTES MEANS THERE'S ALREADY BEEN A SERIES OF INTERVIEWS AND THINGS THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN THIS FINAL MEETING AND INDUSTRY I'M IN.
YOU KIND OF GO INTO THAT FINAL MEETING WITH AN OFFER LETTER AND EVERYTHING SPELLED OUT.
DO YOU KNOW IF WE UTILIZE ANYTHING LIKE THAT OR IS THAT APPROPRIATE IN A SCHOOL DISTRICT SETTING? IT ABSOLUTELY IS.
RIGHT NOW, YOUR TEAM IS PHYSICALLY CALLING PEOPLE.
SO THE TIME THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE HIRING MANAGER MAKES THE RECOMMENDATION TO THE TIME THAT THEY CAN ACTUALLY CALL AND MAKE THAT OFFER COULD EXCEED MORE THAN FOUR DAYS, USUALLY TWO WEEKS.
THAT CAN CHANGE JUST BY CHANGING THE EFFICIENCIES OF THE PROCESSES AND USING THE SYSTEMS. THE OFFER ITSELF TO THE TIME YOU GET SOMEBODY TO SIGN A CONTRACT, YOU USUALLY WANT PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO SIGN CONTRACT, MEANING THAT WE HAVE TO REVISIT THE TIMELINE.
DOES THE BOARD EARLY RELEASE POSITIONS DO SO? IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT IS THE CLERK DIALING THE NUMBER FAST ENOUGH? IT'S ABOUT THE PROCESSES BEING IMPROVED SO THAT IT CAN SHORTEN THE TIME IT TAKES TO GET THEM THROUGH.
OK, WELL, I GUESS SOME OF MY CONFUSION ON THAT AND I CAN FIND OUT MORE ABOUT IT LATER IS JUST, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY MAKING AN OFFER TO HIRE SOMEBODY VERBALLY OR HOWEVER IT'S DONE AND THE PERSON LEAVES THERE WITHOUT A CLUE HOW MUCH THEY'RE GOING TO GET PAID.
THAT'S A TOTAL DISCONNECT TO ME.
YEAH, AND YOU ARE LOSING CANDIDEATES.
IS THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE AN ADDITIONAL PROCESS THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN AFTER THAT DECISION IS MADE OR THAT ANNOUNCEMENT IS MADE THAT WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH ANOTHER PROCESS IN ORDER TO DO THE CALCULATIONS OF SALARY AND ALL THAT? CORRECT.
IT'S THE WORKFLOW IS NOT EXACTLY SET CORRECT AND YOU'RE LIMITING THE WORK TO A CERTAIN LEVEL OF EMPLOYEE WHEN THAT TYPE OF WORK CAN BE DONE BY ANOTHER LEVEL OF EMPLOYEE.
SO WHERE YOU HAVE ONE, YOU HAVE SIX OTHER PEOPLE WHO COULD POSSIBLY BE DOING THE SAME WORK.
SO THAT ALL TIES BACK TO JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND EVERYTHING ELSE WE'RE DOING.
OK, AND THEN THE LAST THING I HAD IS, I THINK, ELAINE, YOU MADE THE COMMENT THAT HR IS DISCONNECTED FROM THE BUDGET PROCESS.
WOULD YOU EXPOUND ON THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT? ABSOLUTELY.
IN MOST DISTRICTS, I'M NOT GOING TO SAY ALL BECAUSE IN SOME PLACES THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT IS YOUR HR DEPARTMENT.
[01:35:02]
BUT IN MOST FORWARD MOVING DISTRICTS AND DISTRICTS OF YOUR SIZE, HR IS AT THE TABLE, MEANING THAT WHEN DECISIONS ARE BEING MADE ABOUT STAFFING, WHAT TYPES OF POSITIONS ARE BEING HIRED, THAT HR ACTUALLY HAS A VOICE, MEANING THAT THEY HAVE THE BIG PICTURE OF THE FINANCIAL SITUATION OF THE DISTRICT AND THE NEEDS OF THE DISTRICT.AND SO HAVING HR AT THE TABLE THROUGH THAT PROCESS IS NECESSARY SO THAT SOMEBODY IS KEEPING AN EYE ON THE NEEDS OF THE DISTRICT VERSUS HOW MUCH WE'RE SPENDING ON STAFF OR ANYTHING IN THE TREND.
WE'VE GOT VERY HARD TO FILL POSITIONS.
YOUR HR PERSON SHOULD BE SO TIED TO THE BUDGET THAT THEY'RE COMING TO YOU, TELLING YOU WE'RE LOSING CUSTODIANS AT 15 A DAY WE NEED TO PUT SOME SORT OF INCENTIVE IN PLACE, RIGHT NOW.
YOU DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE THAT LIAISON.
YOU WOULD HAVE TO HAVE SOMEBODY WHO'S GOING TO LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE OF EVERYTHING AND TO BE ABLE TO BE A PART OF THAT DISCUSSION AND TO HAVE THE AWARENESS IN THE BUDGET PROCESS WHEN POSITIONS ARE BEING REDUCED, HOW HR SHOULD BE THE ONE TO COME WITH YOU WITH A PLAN TO SAY, OK, THROUGH ATTRITION, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE OUT THIS MANY AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO ACTUALLY REMOVE THESE POSITIONS.
BUT WE HAVE VACANCIES WE CAN MOVE THOSE PEOPLE INTO.
THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF THINGS I'M TALKING ABOUT FOR HR TO COME TO THE TABLE WITH.
BOARD ANY OTHER DISCUSSIONS ON THIS ITEM.
IF NOT, I BELIEVE THIS CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR INVITING US TO.
AND AGAIN, I DON'T THINK WE CAN SAY IT ENOUGH.
WE APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU'VE DONE AND THE THOROUGHNESS WITH WHICH YOU WENT ABOUT THIS PROJECT AND BOARD WILL JUST CONTINUE TO FOLLOW UP.
I THINK MANAGEMENT DID A WONDERFUL JOB OF ACKNOWLEDGING THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND WE WILL HAVE A SYSTEM SET UP FOR FOLLOW UP, WHETHER IT'S FORMALLY THROUGH YOU OR SOME SYSTEM THAT WE SET UP OURSELVES.
AT THIS TIME IT'S 5:41, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A FIVE MINUTE BREAK AND THEN WE WILL RESUME WITH THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA.
OK, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT IS NOW 5:52.
WE'RE BACK FROM A BRIEF BREAK.
WE'RE GOING TO WE HAVE COMPLETED ITEM TWO A WE'RE GOING TO GO TO ITEM TWO B THE SPECIAL AUDIT SPECIAL EDUCATION AUDIT REVIEW.
[III.B. Special Education Audit Review]
DR. KIM CADDELL IS GOING TO COME UP AND KICK THIS OFF FOR US.SO PRESIDENT MILLER, TRUSTEES AND DR.
IT IS MY DISTINCT HONOR TO APPEAR ON BEHALF OF DR.
RUSSELL TO INTRODUCE TONIGHT'S SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM REVIEW AUDIT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
I'D LIKE TO EXTEND A HUGE AMOUNT OF GRATITUDE AND APPRECIATION TO OUR PRESENTERS THIS EVENING, DR.
MARIA [INAUDIBLE], AS WELL AS THE ENTIRE TEAM AT PUBLIC CONSULTING GROUP WHO WORKED ON THIS PROJECT.
NOW I'VE PROMISED TO BE BRIEF WITH MY INTRODUCTION, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO OUR TEAM'S BIOS ON PAGES ONE SIXTY SEVEN TO ONE SIXTY NINE OF THE AUDIT, JUST FOR YOUR REFERENCE AND TO ESTABLISH THE EXPERTISE OF THE TEAM.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE DR.
BENTLEY PARKER, OUR INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, FOR HIS LEADERSHIP THROUGHOUT THIS PROJECT.
HIS REFLECTION AND DESIRE TO IMPROVE PROGRAMING FOR STUDENTS HAS BEEN INSPIRING.
AND FINALLY, WE HAVE SEVERAL REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE LEADERSHIP WITHIN OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT THAT HAVE JOINED US THIS EVENING WHO ARE ANXIOUS FOR THE RELEASE OF THESE AUDIT FINDINGS SO THAT THEY CAN BEGIN THE WORK.
AS YOU'LL SEE IN OUR CALL TO ACTION TONIGHT, WE'LL BE REVIEWING AGGREGATE DATA THROUGHOUT THIS EVENING.
BUT I WANT TO BE SURE THAT THROUGHOUT THE REVIEW OF THE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THE FOCUS WAS NOT ONLY ON THE NUMBERS, BUT EACH AND EVERY STUDENT THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE NUMBERS.
IT IS THE FACES OF OUR STUDENTS AND THE SHARED HOPES AND DREAMS FOR OUR STUDENTS.
THAT DRIVES THE SENSE OF URGENCY TO RESPONDING TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO BE SHARED THIS EVENING.
DURING OUR TIME TOGETHER, WE'LL BE COVERING FIVE KEY AREAS.
THEY INCLUDE THE INTRODUCTION TO THE AUDIT, THE SPECIAL EDUCATION REVIEW APPROACH OR THE DESIGN OF THE AUDIT, OUR DATA CONTEXT AND ROOT CAUSES, RECOMMENDATIONS AND OUR CALL TO ACTION.
WE RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT WE RESERVE QUESTIONS UNTIL THE END OF THE PRESENTATION.
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF IF WE'RE ON A SLIDE AND THERE'S SOME CLARIFICATION NEEDED TO ASSIST WITH UNDERSTANDING, WE WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE THOSE IN REAL TIME.
BECAUSE IF YOU'RE ANYTHING LIKE ME, YOU GET STUCK ON TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE DETAIL AND THE PRESENTERS WILL GO ON AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL HAVE THE SAME
[01:40:01]
COMMON SHARED UNDERSTANDING.BECAUSE AS YOU'LL SEE, THIS IS VERY, VERY DATA AND INFORMATION RICH.
THIS IS GOING TO BE AN EYE OPENING REPORT THAT WILL PROMPT MANY QUESTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONVERSATIONS.
THE REPORT SERVES AS OUR CALL TO ACTION A STARTING POINT FOR WHERE WE ARE TODAY AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OUR NEXT STEPS OF IMPROVEMENT.
IT'S IMPORTANT FOR TRUSTEES TO KNOW THAT THE REPORT WAS STARTED MANY MONTHS AGO, AND DISTRICT LEADERS HAVE APPROACHED THE REPORT WITH OPEN MINDS AND OPEN HEARTS IN ORDER TO APPROVE, IMPROVE EXPERIENCES AND OUTCOMES FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS.
AS AN EXAMPLE OF UTILIZING THIS IN PROCESS, FEEDBACK AND DATA TO INFORM DECISION MAKING TRUSTEES ARE REMINDED OF RECENT CHANGES MADE TO THE STUDENT PROGRAMING INVOLVING STUDENTS FORMERLY SERVED AT THE PATHFINDER ACHIEVEMENT CENTER, OR PAC.
A VERY RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT ON THE CONTINUUM OF SERVICES.
TRANSITIONING STUDENTS FROM PAC TO HOME CAMPUS THIS YEAR HAS PROVIDED STUDENTS WITH GREATER OPPORTUNITIES TO FOR ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL INTERACTION.
SO AT THIS TIME, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO DR.
THANK YOU FOR THAT WONDERFUL INTRODUCTION AND LEVEL SETTING OF WHAT WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT TONIGHT.
WE APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE.
WE'RE GOING TO TAKE YOU THROUGH A LOT OF INFORMATION.
SO WE'RE GOING TO BE REFERENCING CERTAIN PIECES OF IT AND REALLY WELCOME YOUR ENGAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE EVENING.
I'M GOING TO START WITH A LITTLE HISTORY.
WHY ARE WE HERE? WHY IS SPECIAL EDUCATION IMPORTANT TO A SCHOOL DISTRICT? IN 1975, PRESIDENT FORD SIGNED INTO LAW THE EDUCATION FOR ALL HANDICAPPED CHILDREN ACT, ALSO KNOWN AS PUBLIC LAW 94142 THAT TODAY IS KNOWN AS THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT.
IN ADOPTING THIS LANDMARK CIVIL RIGHTS MEASURE, CONGRESS AT THE TIME OPENED PUBLIC SCHOOL DOORS FOR MILLIONS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES AND ESTABLISHED THE FOUNDATION OF OUR COUNTRY'S COMMITMENT TO ENSURING THAT STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP THEIR TALENTS, SHARE THEIR GIFTS AND CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR COMMUNITIES.
AT ITS CORE, IDEA IS A CIVIL RIGHTS LAW.
IT'S A FEDERAL STATUTE THAT GOVERNS THE EDUCATION OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND ENSURES THAT THEY ARE RECEIVING A FREE AND APPROPRIATE PUBLIC EDUCATION, ALSO KNOWN AS FAPE.
THIS ALSO GUARANTEES THAT THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES ARE MET AS THEY ARE PREPARED FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT AND INDEPENDENT LIVING.
AND IN THE LAST 40 YEARS, WE'VE SEEN QUITE AN ADVANCEMENT OF OUR EXPECTATIONS FOR ALL STUDENTS, INCLUDING THOSE WITH DISABILITIES.
IN 2018 19, NATIONAL DATA MORE THAN SIXTY FOUR PERCENT OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES WERE IN GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOMS, 80 PERCENT OR MORE OF THE TIME, AND EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES WERE BEING PROVIDED TO MORE THAN 400000 INFANTS AND TODDLERS WITH DISABILITIES AND SUPPORTING THEIR FAMILIES.
BUT WE STILL HAVE LOTS OF ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT, BOTH NATIONALLY AS WELL AS IN GARLAND, AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY.
THE STANDARD IS BEGINNING TO CHANGE.
CERTAINLY, THE PANDEMIC HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE WAY THAT SERVICES ARE BEING PROVIDED AND OUR STUDENTS ARE SERVED.
BUT THERE ARE ALSO TWO OTHER FACTORS THAT REALLY HAVE HAD CONTRIBUTING MEASURES TO THE WAY SPECIAL EDUCATION LOOKS TODAY.
IN 1982, THE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ROWLEY DECISION THAT WAS REALLY THE BEGINNING OF SETTING STANDARDS AROUND WHAT FAPE THAT FREE AND APPROPRIATE PUBLIC EDUCATION LOOKED LIKE.
AND IT REALLY WAS THE STANDARD IT WAS.
WE'RE PROVIDING A DE MINIMIS EDUCATION, A STANDARD ACROSS FOR ALL STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.
BUT THAT SHIFTED DRAMATICALLY IN 2017 WHEN THE ENDREW CASE, OF COURSE, A CASE OUT OF COLORADO SET A NEW STANDARD.
IT REALLY STARTED TO RAISE THE EXPECTATIONS AROUND SUPPORTING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND REALLY IS ABOUT MEANINGFUL PROGRESS AND APPROPRIATE SETTING APPROPRIATE AMBITIOUS GOALS IN LIGHT OF A STUDENT'S CIRCUMSTANCES FOR THOSE WITH DISABILITIES.
THIS, COUPLED WITH THE PANDEMIC, IS REALLY STARTING TO CHANGE THE FACE OF WHAT WE SEE AS SPECIAL EDUCATION.
WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT OF THAT TODAY, AND THE ENDREW DECISION REALLY IS PUSHING DISTRICTS TO THINK MORE BROADLY ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS TO SET HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH IEPS.
JUST TO CLARIFY, WHERE ARE YOU WHEN YOU SAY APPROPRIATELY AMBITIOUS, WHO DETERMINES THAT? THE IEP TEAM.
THE DISCUSSION THAT'S OCCURRING FOR THAT STUDENT'S INDIVIDUAL CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THAT STUDENT'S PROGRESS.
AND DOES EVERYBODY ON THE TEAM HAVE EQUAL INPUT INTO THAT? AND HOW DOES THAT DECISION ULTIMATELY GET MADE? YEP.
SO THE IEP TEAM IS A SHARED DECISION.
THERE ARE SET REPRESENTATIVES FROM AN LEA REP WAS TYPICALLY IS A SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR, A GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHER, A SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER AND THE PARENT.
[01:45:13]
THOSE ARE THE BARE MINIMUM OF THOSE REPRESENTATIVE STAKEHOLDERS.IT IS A DECISION THAT THE THE COMMITTEE, IF YOU WILL, FOR THAT STUDENT, HAS TO COME TO TOGETHER.
SO THIS HAS ALSO CREATED A SHIFT IN THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT EQUALITY.
REALLY, EQUALITY WAS WHAT OUR PREVIOUS STANDARD WAS.
LET'S GIVE EVERYBODY THE SAME THING.
THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE PROGRESS BECAUSE WE'RE ENSURING THAT THE PLAYING FIELD IS EQUAL.
BUT REALLY, THIS SHIFT, PARTICULARLY WITH THE ENDREW DECISION, HAS CHANGED THE CONVERSATION TO BE ABOUT EQUITY, ABOUT ENSURING THAT STUDENTS HAVE WHAT THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
AND IT'S MOVING AWAY FROM THAT, THAT BARE MINIMUM, THAT DE MINIMIS COMPLIANCE ORIENTED FOCUS TO REALLY BE MORE ABOUT A FUTURE FOR STUDENTS THAT IS ABOUT MAXIMIZATION, PERSONALIZATION AND EQUITY.
SO THOSE ARE PRETTY DRAMATIC SHIFTS IN THE WAY THAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION.
WE WANTED TO PROVIDE THAT CONTEXT FOR THOSE KIND OF QUESTIONS ABOUT LET'S LET'S THINK ABOUT WHAT THE BIG PICTURE IS.
I WANT TO GO INTO SOME DETAIL NOW ABOUT HOW WE APPROACH THIS REVIEW, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH GARLAND FOR OVER A YEAR NOW IN DOING EXTENSIVE OUTREACH WITH STAKEHOLDERS, AND SO WE'RE GOING TO TALK THROUGH THAT PROCESS OF WHAT THAT LOOKED LIKE.
SO WE CONDUCTED A MIXED METHODS STUDY.
IT WAS MULTIDIMENSIONAL, WHICH MEANS THAT WE HAD MULTIPLE WAYS THAT WE WERE COLLECTING INFORMATION AND BY MIXED METHODS, WE MEAN A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS THERE'S STUDENT DATA WE'RE GOING TO TALK YOU THROUGH TONIGHT, AS WELL AS QUALITATIVE.
WE TALKED TO MANY, MANY, MANY FOLKS.
WE HELD 74 VIRTUAL FOCUS GROUPS THAT REPRESENTED MORE THAN THREE HUNDRED PARTICIPANTS, FROM SCHOOL BASED STAFF TO CENTRAL OFFICE TO PARENTS AND OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
WE ALSO CONDUCTED EIGHT VIRTUAL FILE REVIEW FOCUS GROUPS WHERE WE WERE LOOKING AT STUDENT FILES TO UNDERSTAND HOW DECISIONS ARE MADE AT THE IEP TEAM, HOW POLICIES ARE UNDERSTOOD AND IMPLEMENTED.
AND WE HAD ABOUT FORTY FIVE PARTICIPANTS IN THAT.
WE LOOKED AT OVER 50 DISTRICT DOCUMENTS AND DID TREND ANALYSIS, WHICH WILL SHARE SOME OF TODAY.
AND THEN WE CONDUCTED A PARENT SURVEY AS WELL, RECEIVING ABOUT OVER 700 RESPONSES, WHICH REPRESENTED ABOUT A 14 PERCENT RESPONSE RATE FOR STUDENTS FOR PARENT FAMILY INVOLVEMENT.
WE WORKED ALONGSIDE DISTRICT STAFF TO ENSURE THAT WHAT WE WERE FOCUSED ON IS WHAT WAS OF MOST INTEREST AND AREAS TO GO MORE DEEPLY INTO.
AND THEN WE ALIGNED THAT WITH OUR EXPERIENCE OF DOING THESE REVIEWS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY WITH OTHER DISTRICTS AND THE BEST PRACTICE LITERATURE THAT'S OUT THERE ABOUT WHAT WHAT WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT IN TERMS OF BEST PRACTICES.
WE HAVE CATEGORIZED THE AREAS OF FOCUS FOR THIS REVIEW INTO SIX SPECIFIC WHAT WE CALL DOMAIN AREAS.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR RECRUITMENT? WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR SUPPORTING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, WITH TRAINED STAFF? HOW ARE YOU SETTING EXPECTATIONS? HOW DO WE DEFINE AMBITIOUS GOALS? HOW DO WE DEFINE WHAT THAT MEANS TO RAISE THE EXPECTATIONS OF RIGOR FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN THEIR CLASSROOMS? WHAT SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES ARE IN PLACE TO ALLOCATE RESOURCES TO MANAGE BUDGETS, TO LOOK AT DATA ON A REGULAR BASIS? AND THEN THE FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PIECE HOW ARE FAMILIES INVOLVED? WE KNOW THIS IS AN IMPORTANT TOPIC TO ALL OF YOU AND CERTAINLY TO THE FAMILIES THAT ARE HERE WITH US TODAY, BUT ALSO LISTENING AT HOME.
AND WE WANTED TO HEAR THEIR VOICES LOUD AND CLEAR.
AND CERTAINLY, WHAT DOES SPECIAL EDUCATION LOOK LIKE IN THE CLASSROOM? WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE WHEN YOU'RE DELIVERING INSTRUCTION? WHAT SHOULD THE EXPECTATION BE AND WHAT SHOULD THAT BE WITHIN AN INCLUSIONARY FRAMEWORK? WHICH WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT.
LEADERSHIP IS CRUCIAL AT THE CAMPUS LEVEL.
IT'S CRUCIAL AT THE CENTRAL OFFICE LEVEL.
WE'VE CERTAINLY HAD SOME CHANGES IN THAT HERE, BUT THE DIRECTION AND HAVING US UNDERSTAND WHERE CAMPUS LEADERSHIP IS INVOLVED, WHERE THEY'RE NOT INVOLVED IN SOME OF THESE DECISIONS ABOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION AND HOW THEY CONNECT TO THE CENTRAL OFFICE LEADERSHIP WAS A KEY PIECE THAT WE LOOKED INTO.
YOU HAVE A LOT OF GREAT THINGS HAPPENING HERE.
I KNOW THAT YOU WERE INTERESTED IN OUR FINDING OUT THE THINGS THAT MIGHT NOT BE AS STRONG.
THAT'S PROBABLY TYPICAL OF THESE KIND OF REVIEWS, BUT WE WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT THERE IS A GREAT FOUNDATION HERE.
THE FACT THAT WE ARE HERE IS IS A TESTAMENT TO THE FACT THAT YOU'RE OPEN TO FEEDBACK.
IT'S NOT AN EASY THING TO DO NOT EASY TO BE COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT AND TO OPEN YOUR DOORS.
THERE WERE THERE WERE NEVER QUESTIONS HERE THAT WE COULDN'T ASK OR INFORMATION THAT WE FELT WE COULDN'T GET.
REALLY, EVERYBODY WAS INVESTED IN SEEING PROGRESS IN THIS AREA, AND THAT'S
[01:50:04]
SOMETHING TO BE COMMENDED.INTERCESSION WE HEARD QUITE A BIT ABOUT.
WE KNOW IT WAS RELATIVELY NEW WHEN WE STARTED DOING THIS REVIEW LAST YEAR, BUT IT WAS WIDELY VIEWED AS POSITIVE AS AN INNOVATIVE WAY TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BOTH HELP STUDENTS THAT MIGHT NEED REMEDIATION, AS WELL AS THOSE THAT MIGHT NEED ENRICHMENT.
SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT STAFF WERE SEEN AS KNOWLEDGEABLE AND SUPPORTIVE TO CAMPUSES.
CAMPUSES KNEW WHO TO REACH OUT, HOW, HOW TO REACH OUT FOR HELP, WHO TO REACH OUT TO AND AND WERE SUPPORTIVE.
IN THAT CASE, THERE WAS A ROBUST LIST OF TOPICS ABOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION, SO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT WAS STARTED A SERIES THAT WAS STARTED FOR CAMPUS LEADERS IN 2021.
AND NOW THERE ARE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE MOVING FORWARD.
THERE ARE MANY WAYS THAT YOU SHARE INFORMATION OUT WITH PARENTS FROM THROUGH DIFFERENT MEDIA WAYS, AS WELL AS WRITTEN COMMUNICATION THROUGH TEACHERS.
I MEAN, THERE ARE MULTIPLE WAYS THAT PARENTS ARE GETTING INFORMATION.
THIS ONE, I FEEL LIKE WE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE MOVED TO FIRST.
THE FACT THAT THERE ARE CARING, CONCERNED TEACHERS AND PARAPROFESSIONALS WHO EXPRESSED EXTRAORDINARY COMMITMENT TO ESTABLISHING CONNECTIONS WITH PARENTS.
THAT WAS VERY EVIDENT AS WE WERE GOING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC, AS WE HAD THESE CONVERSATIONS, BUT IT WAS VERY CLEAR THAT PARENTS FEEL SUPPORTED IN THAT WAY AND THAT THERE ARE CARING CONCERNED STAFF THAT REALLY WANT TO DO BEST BY STUDENTS.
SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENTS COLLABORATED WITH THE BUDGET DEPARTMENT TO IMPROVE MONITORING PRACTICES REALLY HAVE A CLEAR SENSE OF THE BUDGET THAT'S CONTINUING ON AND THAT THERE'S WRITTEN GUIDANCE AROUND MULTI-TIERED SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT AND SPECIAL EDUCATION.
WE ENCOUNTER MANY DISTRICTS THAT DON'T HAVE WRITTEN POLICIES, AND SO THAT'S ALWAYS A STARTING PLACE.
YOU HAVE THEM, YOU HAVE THE WRITTEN PROCEDURES, AND WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS TO TAKE THAT TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
SO I'M GOING TO PASS THIS OVER TO DR.
[INAUDIBLE] WHO'S GOING TO TALK US THROUGH SOME OF THE DATA AND I'LL COME BACK UP WHEN IT COMES TO SOME RECOMMENDATIONS.
AS YOU GET INTO THE DATA, ARE YOU AWARE OF THE REPORT THAT BROKE IN 2016 FROM THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE ABOUT SPECIAL ED IN TEXAS? WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO PROVIDE SOME CONTEXT? OK, SO YEAH, THERE WAS A MAJOR REPORT.
HOUSTON CHRONICLE BROKE IT TALKING ABOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION IN TEXAS, STARTING APPROXIMATELY AT YEAR 2004 THAT THE TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY HAD DELIBERATELY SET A BENCHMARK NUMBER OF ABOUT EIGHT POINT FIVE PERCENT.
AND AGAIN, IT WAS MANY, MANY YEARS AFTER THAT ARTIFICIAL NUMBER WAS SET BY THE STATE.
OTHER PAPERS PICKED IT UP WENT NATIONAL.
DALLAS MORNING NEWS DID A STUDY OF DISTRICTS IN THIS AREA, WE WERE RIGHT AROUND EIGHT POINT SIX PERCENT OF THE DISTRICTS.
IT WAS AMAZING HOW ALL THE NUMBERS FOR ALL THE DISTRICTS IN THIS AREA ALL CAME RIGHT WITHIN ONE OR TWO PERCENTAGE POINT TENTHS OF A PERCENTAGE POINT OF EIGHT POINT FIVE.
SO WHEN I LOOK AT THE NUMBERS HERE ON THE NEXT PAGE WE'RE ABOUT TO DO NINE POINT NINE US TEN POINT SEVEN THE STATE, BUT YET NATIONALLY, 14 PERCENT.
SO COULD WE TALK ABOUT THE REFLECTION? HAS THAT CHANGED? ARE THE NUMBERS STILL ARTIFICIAL? IS THE THE NUMBER STILL BEING HELD DOWN? AND WHY ARE WE SO FAR OFF FROM THE NATIONAL AVERAGES? I'LL TAKE A STAB AT THAT.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT MORE DETAIL AND CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT.
SO I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T ENCOUNTER PRACTICES HERE THAT CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE TO SUPPRESSING SPECIAL EDUCATION NUMBERS.
I THINK WHAT WE FOCUSED ON IS THE FACT THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE A ROBUST STRUCTURE THAT SPECIAL EDUCATION SHOULD NOT BE THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE STRUGGLING.
SO WE'LL TALK AND SOME OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS, OF COURSE, ABOUT MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPORT.
LIKE WHAT DOES THAT INTERVENTION STRUCTURE LOOK LIKE? IF WE LOOK ACROSS TEXAS, YOU KNOW, DISTRICTS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.
WE WOULDN'T ADVOCATE FOR THE FACT THAT YOU SHOULD BE MEETING SOME SORT OF STANDARD OR SOME SORT OF BENCHMARK THAT LOOKS AT NATIONAL INFORMATION.
FOR US IT'S, AS I SAID, A CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW IS INDIVIDUAL STUDENT SUPPORT HAPPENING BOTH BEFORE A REFERRAL WOULD HAPPEN.
WHAT DOES DYSLEXIA SUPPORT LOOK LIKE? I THINK TEXAS IS CERTAINLY ONE OF THE UNIQUE DISTRICT OR UNIQUE STATES IN THE FACT
[01:55:03]
THAT YOU HAVE SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURES AROUND SUPPORTING DYSLEXIA, WHERE IN OTHER STATES, STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA MIGHT BE STUDENTS WITH IEPS.THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE HERE.
SO I THINK IT'S A COMPLICATED LOOKING AT SIMPLE NUMBERS REALLY STARTS TO UNPACK A VERY COMPLICATED CONVERSATION ABOUT ROOT CAUSES.
AND SO OUR OUR ANALYSIS DIDN'T NECESSARILY SAY YOU SHOULD BE INCREASING NUMBERS.
BUT IT DID SAY YOU NEED TO BE LOOKING CAREFULLY AT ARE ALL STUDENTS WHO ARE STRUGGLING, BEING SUPPORTED THE MOST APPROPRIATE WAY? AND DID YOU COME UP WITH AN ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION OR IS THAT JUST AN OPEN ENDED QUESTION? WE'LL TALK MORE AS WE GO THROUGH BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME OTHER DATA POINTS THAT I THINK ARE REALLY VALUABLE FOR US TO TALK ABOUT IN TERMS OF DISPROPORTIONALITY.
THAT TO US WERE FAR MORE INDICATIVE OF OF CULTURE OF THE WAY THAT SERVICES ARE BEING PROVIDED HERE.
AND THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPORT WHEN I TALK ABOUT RECOMMENDATIONS A LITTLE BIT MORE.
AND YOU DO ANALYSIS LIKE THIS AROUND THE NATION, CORRECT? MM HMM.
SO IS THAT 14 PERCENT NUMBER SOMETHING YOU SEE IN OTHER STATES? SO THAT'S A REAL NUMBER, RIGHT? YEAH.
I MEAN, THERE CERTAINLY ARE STATES THAT ARE ABOVE THAT.
MASSACHUSETTS COMES TO MIND AND THE FACT THAT THEY ARE THEY ARE GENERALLY IN 20 PERCENT.
TWENTY TWO PERCENT, THEY TEND TO BE ON AVERAGE THERE.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT SOME OF THE AVERAGING OUT, IT CERTAINLY GETS TO THAT 14 PERCENT IN THE MIDDLE.
BUT SOME STATES ARE CERTAINLY UNDER AS OTHER STATES ARE OVER.
OKAY, GO AHEAD, MR. GLICK THAT WAS A WONDERFUL SEGUE TO MY NEXT POINT.
YOU KNOW WHAT I DID WANT TO SHARE WITH EVERYONE WITH A BOARD IS THAT THE IMPORTANCE OF INCREASING THE PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN FOUND ELIGIBLE MUST IN FACT BE A BYPRODUCT OF A ROBUST EVALUATION SYSTEM.
WE DON'T WANT TO INCREASE THE PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN FOUND ELIGIBLE, PARTICULARLY STUDENTS OF COLOR, FOR THE PURPOSE OF INCREASING A NUMBER.
WE, IN FACT, WANT THAT TO BE A NATURAL BYPRODUCT OF AN EVALUATION SYSTEM.
THAT EFFECTIVELY HAS A CHILD FIND PROCESS, AND THAT CHILD FIND PROCESS IS THAT SCHOOL BASED STAFF ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE IN WHAT CHILD DEVELOPMENT LOOKS LIKE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD.
WHAT A STRUGGLING LEARNER PROFILE MAY LOOK LIKE FOR A STUDENT IN ELEMENTARY THROUGH SECONDARY, AND THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THE PROCESSES IN WHICH THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH TO REFER A STUDENT.
AND THAT REFERRAL PROCESS IS ROBUST AND THAT WE'RE GATHERING THE RIGHT DATA.
WE'RE SELECTING ASSESSMENT TOOLS THAT ARE APPROPRIATE FOR THE EVALUATION OR THE REFERRAL CONCERNS.
AND SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO THINK ABOUT THIS PROCESS HOLISTICALLY BECAUSE IT REVOLVES.
IT INVOLVES SO MANY DIFFERENT MOVING PARTS.
SO WE SEE HERE IN GISD THAT THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS BEING FOUND ELIGIBLE IS SLOWLY AND STEADILY INCREASING.
IT IS BELOW THE STATE AVERAGE.
IT'S ALSO BELOW THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.
WHAT I WANT TO REALLY IMPART IN THIS OPPORTUNITY IS THAT AS LONG AS WE HAVE A SYSTEM THAT WORKS AND THAT SYSTEM I'M REFERRING TO IS MTSS MULTI-TIERED SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT AS WELL AS SPECIAL EDUCATION AND THAT REFERRAL EVALUATION ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION PART.
WE'RE GOING TO FIND THE STUDENTS WHO IN FACT NEED SUPPORTS OR ARE STRUGGLING LEARNERS AND CONNECT THEM WITH THE SERVICES THEY NEED.
SO I DO APPRECIATE YOU SHARING THAT.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE PERCENTAGES OF CHILDREN FOUND ELIGIBLE IN GISD, IF WE WERE TO LOOK AT IT FROM A 10000 FOOT PERSPECTIVE, WE WOULD SAY THAT MAYBE DISPROPORTIONALITY ISN'T AN ISSUE AND DISPROPORTIONALITY BEING, ARE WE IDENTIFYING CERTAIN STUDENTS BASED UPON DIFFERENT FACTORS, ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE ELIGIBLE RATHER THAN COMPARATIVE TO THEIR PEERS WHEN WE THINK OF A PARTICULAR FACTOR? WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT IT AGAIN FROM THAT TEN THOUSAND FOOT LEVEL THAT NO RACIAL OR ETHNIC GROUP OF STUDENTS HAD AN OVERALL RISK RATIO HIGHER THAN ONE POINT FOUR ONE POINT FOUR TWO, WHICH IS REPRESENTATIVE OF BLACK STUDENTS HERE IN GISD.
HOWEVER, OUR JOB IS TO REALLY DO A DEEPER ANALYSIS, AND SO WITH OUR WORK, WE DUG VERY DEEP.
AND AS WE'LL GO THROUGH ON THESE NEXT FEW SLIDES, YOU'LL SEE THAT OUR ANALYZES INCLUDE THAT TEN THOUSAND FOOT LEVEL.
BUT WE ALSO STARTED DOING CROSS-SECTIONAL ANALYZES WHERE WE LOOK AT DISPROPORTIONALITY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF RACE AND ETHNICITY, AS WELL AS GENDER, AS WELL AS DISABILITY CLASSIFICATION.
AND SO JUST TO SET THE STAGE FOR THESE NEXT FEW SLIDES, I'D LIKE TO SHARE THAT WE DO SEE THAT STUDENTS OF COLOR IN PARTICULAR ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY OVER IDENTIFIED IN SEVERAL KEY FACTOR GROUPS, PARTICULARLY AROUND DISABILITY CLASSIFICATIONS, AND THAT BEING THE DISABILITY CLASSIFICATION THAT A STUDENT IS FOUND ELIGIBLE UNDER.
SO WE MAY LOOK AT AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER OR EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE OR OTHER HEALTH IMPAIRMENT.
WE ALSO KNOW THAT STUDENTS OF COLOR ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY OVER IDENTIFIED IN MORE RESTRICTIVE SETTINGS.
[02:00:01]
AND SO, AS MY COLLEAGUE, DR.MILLER HAD SHARED, THAT PART OF IDEA IN THE REAUTHORIZATION REQUIRES US TO LOOK AT WHAT'S CALLED THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT CONTINUUM.
AND THAT MEANS THAT WE HAVE PLACEMENTS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN GENERAL EDUCATION WITH THEIR PEERS ALL THE WAY TO THE MOST RESTRICTIVE SETTINGS REQUIRED IN ORDER FOR A STUDENT TO ACCESS THEIR FREE AND APPROPRIATE PUBLIC EDUCATION.
WE ALSO KNOW THROUGH OUR ANALYZES THAT STUDENTS OF COLOR DISPROPORTIONATELY OVER IDENTIFIED AND RECEIVING HARSHER BEHAVIORAL CONSEQUENCES WHEN COMPARED TO THEIR PEERS.
AND LASTLY, STUDENTS OF COLOR ARE ALSO DISPROPORTIONATELY OVER IDENTIFIED, AND WHEN WE REVIEW THAT CROSS SECTION ANALYZES WITH ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STATUS.
SO WHEN THIS CASE IS FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH PROGRAM.
SO WHEN WE CONDUCTED PART OF THIS CROSS-SECTIONAL ANALYZES THAT I'VE BEEN REFERENCING, WE KNOW THAT BLACK STUDENTS IN GISD ARE TWO POINT FIVE TIMES MORE LIKELY THAN NON-BLACK STUDENTS TO BE IDENTIFIED WITH AN EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE.
AND SO IF YOU WERE TO LOOK IN THIS GRAPH HERE, YOU WILL SEE THAT THERE ARE MORE STUDENTS, REGARDLESS OF RACE AND ETHNICITY STATUS BEING IDENTIFIED MORE OFTEN IN THE EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE DISABILITY CLASSIFICATION, BUT PARTICULARLY BLACK STUDENTS ARE OVERREPRESENTED.
AND THIS IS IMPORTANT, AND THIS MAY BE RELEVANT TO THE BOARD THAT THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH NATIONAL DATA IN 2021.
WHAT IS THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES CONDUCTED IN NATIONAL ANALYZES AND BLACK STUDENTS ARE ALSO OVER IDENTIFIED OR MORE LIKELY TO BE IDENTIFIED WITH THE DISABILITY CLASSIFICATION CALLED INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY OR EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE.
AND ALSO, HARSHER BEHAVIORAL CONSEQUENCES ARE APPLIED.
AS WE CONDUCT A CROSS-SECTIONAL ANALYZES RELATED TO RACE AND ETHNICITY, AS WELL AS DISPROPORTIONALITY IDENTIFICATION RATES, MALE STUDENTS IN GISD WERE MORE LIKELY THAN FEMALE STUDENTS TO IN FACT BE IDENTIFIED.
AND AGAIN, THIS IS A NATIONAL TREND THAT THIS DATA IS CONSISTENT WITH A NATIONAL TREND AS WELL TOO.
AND WE WENT DEEPER, WE LOOKED EVEN FURTHER AT THE DATA TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHERE THE WHERE DISPROPORTIONALITY MAY BE ALIVE AND WELL, AND WHAT WE ALSO DISCOVERED WAS THAT WHEN WE EXAMINE THE DATA FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF BOTH GENDER AND RACE AND ETHNICITY, IT'S MORE PRONOUNCED IN DISABILITY CLASSIFICATION DETERMINATION, PARTICULARLY IN THE DISABILITY CLASSIFICATIONS OF AUTISM, AS WELL AS EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE.
SO IF WE WERE TO LOOK AT THIS GRAPH HERE, THIS ARTICULATES THAT MALE STUDENTS IN GISD WHO ARE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES ARE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE LIKELY TO BE FOUND ELIGIBLE UNDER THE DISABILITY CLASSIFICATION OF AUTISM AND EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE.
AND THAT'S REALLY RELEVANT AS WE THINK ABOUT OUR PLACEMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES WHO MAY HAVE MORE SIGNIFICANT MANIFESTATIONS OF THEIR DISABILITY IN THE EDUCATIONAL SETTING.
AND SO WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT LATER ON.
AND SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT HERE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT STUDENTS WHO ARE BLACK HERE IN GISD, WHEN WE LOOK AT DISABILITY STATUS AND EDUCATIONAL SETTING, THAT BLACK STUDENTS WERE IDENTIFIED WITH AN EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE, WERE THREE POINT SEVEN TWO TIMES MORE LIKELY THAN NON-BLACK STUDENTS TO LEARN IN SPECIALIZED CLASSROOMS. AND AS I MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, PLACEMENT OR WHERE A STUDENT RECEIVES THEIR SERVICES ALONG THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT CONTINUUM.
MORE SPECIALIZED CLASSROOMS ARE TECHNICALLY IN WITHIN GENERAL EDUCATION LESS THAN 40 PERCENT OF THE TIME.
SO THAT MEANS IF STUDENTS IN SPECIALIZED CLASSES COULD BE SPENDING ZERO PERCENT OF THEIR TIME IN GENERAL EDUCATION UP TO 40 PERCENT.
AND THIS IS PARTICULARLY RELEVANT BECAUSE WITH THE CLOSURE OF PAC, WE HAVE SEEN THAT STUDENTS WHO WERE PARTICIPATING IN THE PAC PROGRAM WERE RECEIVING THEIR SERVICES WITHIN THE PAC PROGRAM HAVE RETURNED TO THEIR HOME SCHOOLS.
AND JUST FROM THE NARRATIVE FEEDBACK THAT I RECEIVED FROM OUR GISD PARTNERS, OUR STUDENTS ARE THRIVING.
SO THAT'S REALLY POSITIVE TO LEARN.
WE'RE REALLY HAPPY ABOUT THAT.
AND SO AS WE THINK ABOUT DISPROPORTIONALITY WHEN IT COMES TO SUSPENSION RATES, WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONDUCT ANALYZES ON THIS PARTICULAR THESE PARTICULAR DATA FACTORS AS WELL.
AND WHAT WE LEARNED THAT BLACK STUDENTS IDENTIFIED FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION WERE TWO POINT SEVEN SIX TIMES MORE LIKELY THAN NOT BLACK STUDENTS.
I IDENTIFIED STUDENTS TO BE SUSPENDED.
THAT ALSO EXTENDS TO STUDENTS TWO BLACK STUDENTS WHO ARE IN FACT NOT IDENTIFIED AS HAVING A DISABILITY.
SO WHAT WE CAN SAY COMPARATIVELY FROM THIS SLIDE IS THAT BLACK STUDENTS ARE
[02:05:01]
SUSPENDED MORE OFTEN THAN THEIR NON-BLACK PEERS, WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAVE A DISABILITY.AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE HERE THAT FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, THERE IS A SEPARATE PROCESS IN TERMS OF DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES THAT NEED TO BE APPLIED.
AND SO IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT WHEN SCHOOL BASED TEAMS ARE CONSIDERING HOW WE ARE MOVING THROUGH THE BEHAVIORAL APPLICATION OF THE CONSEQUENCES THAT THOSE CONSEQUENCES ARE THOUGHT THROUGH IN ALIGNMENT WITH THOSE SPECIAL PROCEDURES THAT ARE IN FACT OUTLINED.
AND SO HERE WE'D LIKE TO CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO AGAIN THE SUSPENSION RATES HERE AND THERE WAS A BIT OF A DATA ANOMALY WHEN WE LOOK AT STUDENTS WITH AUTISM, PARTICULARLY STUDENTS, WHITE STUDENTS WITH AUTISM WERE SEVEN TIMES MORE LIKELY THAN THEIR NON THAN NONWHITE PEERS, WITH STUDENTS WITH AUTISM TO BE SUSPENDED.
SO THE IMPORTANT DISTINCTION HERE IS THAT WHEN WE USE A RISK RATIO CALCULATION, THAT THIS CALCULATION CAN POTENTIALLY BE OVERINFLATED JUST BECAUSE THE SAMPLE SIZE IS SMALL.
IN FACT, IT COULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS DATA ANOMALY BECAUSE THIS WAS NOT REPRESENTATIVE IN ALL THE OTHER DATA ANALYZES THAT WERE CONDUCTED AS PART OF THE STUDY.
AND LASTLY, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT DISPROPORTIONALITY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF BEING ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED OVERALL, STUDENTS WITH IEPS WERE THREE POINT ONE TIMES MORE LIKELY THAN ALL GISD STUDENTS TO BE ENROLLED IN THE FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH PROGRAM.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS DATA WAS PROVIDED BY THE DISTRICT PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC.
SINCE THE PANDEMIC, ALL STUDENTS HAVE IN FACT QUALIFIED FOR FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH PROGRAMS. THERE IS A SURVEY OPPORTUNITY FOR PARENTS TO PROVIDE THIS FEEDBACK.
HOWEVER, THIS AGAIN IS ABOUT TWO YEARS OLD, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT JUST TO CONSIDER IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF DISPROPORTIONALITY AND HOW IT IS MANIFESTING IN GISD.
ON THIS NEXT CHART, I THINK THIS IS WHAT YOU COMPILE HERE IS REALLY INCREDIBLE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU COULD HIGHLIGHT THE NO ANSWERS, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S REALLY INCREDIBLE, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THREE C AND FOUR AND THREE C AND THREE C ON THE STATEWIDE ASSESSMENTS AS COMPARED TO 3B AND 3B.
I MEAN, IT DOESN'T REALLY MAKE MUCH SENSE, DOES IT? SO THE IMPORTANT DISTINCTION HERE, AND I'LL CALL ON MY COLLEAGUE, DR.
BUT THERE'S THE FUNCTIONAL DIFFERENCE IN 3B VERSUS 3C IS THAT THE COMPARISON BETWEEN PARTICIPATION RATE AND THEN PROFICIENCY.
SO PARTICIPATION RATE BEING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS TO TAKE THE ASSESSMENT AND THEN PROFICIENCY BEING REPRESENTATIVE OF HOW A STUDENT PERFORMED.
BUT HOW COULD THE STATE BE ASKING FOR 98 PERCENT UNDER 3C AND 98 PERCENT UNDER THE OTHER 3C, INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCES AND EITHER WE'RE WAY OFF OR THEIR NUMBERS ARE WAY OFF? THEY DON'T COMPUTE.
I MEAN, WE'RE AT TWENTY AND TWENTY THREE AND THEY'RE ASKING FOR NINETY EIGHT AND NINETY EIGHT.
SO SOMETHING DOESN'T MAKE SENSE THERE.
AND I THINK THAT'S A VERY VALID QUESTION.
I WOULD HAVE TO DEFER TO MY COLLEAGUE, DR.
MILLER, TO ANSWER TO ANSWER THAT ONE.
[INAUDIBLE] SO IN TERMS OF CONTEXT FOR THE STATE PERFORMANCE PLAN INDICATORS, THESE INDICATORS ARE THE SAME ACROSS EVERY DISTRICT ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.
THESE WERE ESTABLISHED AFTER THE 2004 REAUTHORIZATION OF IDEA SO THAT THERE ARE SOME BENCHMARK COMPARISONS FROM DISTRICT TO DISTRICT AND STATE TO STATE.
ALTHOUGH YOU THINK THERE'S A COMPARISON, STATES CAN SET SPECIFIC INDICATORS AND THE WAY THAT THEY CALCULATE THE INFORMATION CAN BE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT STATE TO STATE.
THEY GENERALLY A STATE SETS A SIX YEAR TIME FRAME OR TARGET FOR HOW THE WHAT TARGETS THEY'RE LOOKING FOR IN THEIR AGGREGATE DATA.
I THINK OF UNDERGOING THAT RIGHT NOW OF SETTING THEIR STANDARDS FOR THE NEXT SIX YEARS.
IT'S ALWAYS A BALANCE BETWEEN WHAT REALITY IS, WHAT THE STATEWIDE DATA SHOW VERSUS THE EXPECTATIONS AND HIGH, HIGH EXPECTATIONS THE STATE WANTS TO SET.
SO WHILE IT MAY LOOK THAT THIS NUMBER IS HIGH, MANY DISTRICTS ARE STRUGGLING WITH THREE C IN BOTH READING AND MATH.
VERY FEW THAT WE ENCOUNTER MEET THE STATE STANDARD OR EXCEED IT.
AND SO IT'S MEANT TO BE A STRETCH, AND RIGHTFULLY SO.
THESE ARE THE ACADEMIC STANDARDS.
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THIS IS WHAT WE WANT STUDENTS TO ACHIEVE.AND SO THE WAY THAT IT'S SET UP IS THAT DISTRICTS RECEIVE VERIFICATION OR A LETTER GRADE, IF YOU WILL, OF MEETING EXPECTATIONS OR NOT MEETING EXPECTATIONS FOR EACH OF THESE AREAS.
THE GOAL OF THIS CHART, IN PARTICULAR, IS THAT WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT REALLY KEY AREAS THAT STOOD OUT FOR US.
SO GRADUATION RATES ARE SPECIFICALLY CONNECTED TO PROFICIENCY.
SO IF STUDENTS ARE NOT SUCCEEDING, IF THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO RECEIVE THE SUPPORTS THEY NEED IN A CLASS, THERE'S LESS LIKELIHOOD THEY'LL GRADUATE, THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT PIECE IS CRITICAL AS WELL.
AS AS MARIA HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT, THE FACT THAT THERE ARE STANDARDS SET AROUND NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO ARE IN GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSES OR IN GENERAL EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT AND SPECIFIC TIMES OF THE DAY.
I THINK IT'S PRETTY PRONOUNCED TO US WHEN YOU LOOK AT FIVE A, B AND C THAT ALL OF THOSE ARE AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT.
AND CERTAINLY THERE'S BEEN PROGRESS MADE.
THIS HAS, YOU KNOW, DATA IS REFLECTIVE OF SEVERAL YEARS AGO BASED ON HOW IT'S CALCULATED, BUT SAME THING WITH EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS.
IN SIX B, THE WAY THAT STUDENTS THE LITTLE ONES THE PRESCHOOLERS ARE RECEIVING THEIR SERVICES TENDS TO BE IN A MORE SEPARATE KIND OF ENVIRONMENT.
AND THEN THAT MANIFESTS IN OUTCOMES, PARTICULARLY FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD.
BUT SAME THING IT'S CONNECTING BACK TO.
IF STUDENTS ARE NOT IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION SETTING WITH ACCESS TO GENERAL EDUCATION PEERS TO THE THE CONTENT THAT'S HAPPENING AT GRADE LEVEL, THEY'RE GOING TO STRUGGLE WHEN THEY GET TO AN ASSESSMENT THAT'S TESTING THEM SOMETHING THAT THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE, IF THEY'RE ALWAYS PULLED OUT FOR SEPARATE INSTRUCTION.
WHAT I THINK IS ENCOURAGING IS THAT WHILE WE ARE HIGHLIGHTING DISPROPORTIONALITY CONCERNS AND CERTAINLY A NARRATIVE THAT STARTED TO EMERGE AS WE LOOKED AT SOME OF THE CHARTS THAT DR. [INAUDIBLE] SHARED THE STATE HAS NOT HAD NOT AT LEAST TO THIS POINT BEEN LOOKING AT ANY SORT OF OVER IDENTIFICATION TO A SIGNIFICANT LEVEL.
SO I THINK WHAT OUR DATA SHOW IS THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS IF WE DON'T CORRECT THE TREND, YOU'RE LEADING TOWARD A SITUATION WHERE THE STATE IS GOING TO BE SAYING SANCTIONING OR REQUIRING SET ASIDE OF SPECIFIC FUNDING.
BUT FOR RIGHT NOW, WHY WE HIGHLIGHTED THAT WAS BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE THAT AND NOT BE ON THE STATE'S RADAR WHEN IT COMES TO INDICATORS NINE AND 10.
WHAT'S GREAT IS THAT CHILD FIND MEANING YOU'RE FINDING STUDENTS AND APPROPRIATELY REFERRING THEM BY SPECIFIC TIMELINES, AND THAT TRANSITION IS HAPPENING BY THE CONVERSATIONS, BY THE CHILD'S THIRD BIRTHDAY INTO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND THEN POST-SECONDARY MEANING AFTER HIGH SCHOOL.
THOSE OUTCOMES OF EITHER EMPLOYMENT OR CONNECTION TO A UNIVERSITY OR BOTH THAT YOU'RE YOU'RE DOING WELL WHEN IT COMES TO THAT TRANSITION PIECE.
THE STATE DOESN'T ALWAYS CALCULATE POST-SCHOOL OUTCOMES EVERY YEAR, WHICH IS WHY THERE'S SOME OF THE INFORMATION THEY PICK COHORTS TO EVALUATE.
SO THAT'S WHY SOME OF THE DATA ISN'T AVAILABLE.
BUT IT COULD BE IN THE COMING YEARS AS GISD COULD BE PART OF THOSE COHORTS.
THIS BRINGS US TO THE BIGGEST QUESTION, I THINK THAT EVERYONE ON THE BOARD MAY HAVE RIGHT NOW IS HOW DID WE GET HERE? WHAT ARE THE ROOT CAUSES FOR SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTED OR THE CONCERNS THAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTED THUS FAR OR DISCUSSED? AND WHAT OUR TEAM HAS IDENTIFIED ARE 10 ROOT CAUSES AND WE BELIEVE THAT GISD WE WANT TO BEGIN WITH BY SHARING THAT GISD HAS A REPUTATION OF BEING A HIGH PERFORMING DISTRICT WITH SEVERAL AWARD WINNING SCHOOLS.
GISD HAS ACCOLADES FOR ITS PROGRAMING AND THAT WE BELIEVE THAT AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW IN GISD AND EXTEND THIS CULTURE OF EXCELLENCE TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES BY ADDRESSING THESE ROOT CAUSES, THEY IT WILL RESULT IN PERFORMANCE, SIGNIFICANT PERFORMANCE INCREASES.
AND SO WE'LL TAKE A MOMENT JUST TO GO THROUGH EACH OF THESE ROOT CAUSES AND PROVIDE SOME MORE CONTEXT IF YOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO READ THE REPORT.
THESE ARE BROKEN DOWN IN THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.
THEY'RE ALSO BROKEN DOWN AT LENGTH IN THE RECOMMENDATIONS SECTION.
AND SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT ROOT CAUSES AS IT RELATES TO IDENTIFICATION IN SUPPORT OF STRUGGLING LEARNERS, THIS IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO WHAT WE DISCUSSED JUST AT THE PRIOR TO THE START OF MY PRESENTATION REALLY ENSURING THAT THE EXISTENCE OF A ROBUST EVALUATION AN MTSS PROGRAM, OUR EVALUATION PROCESS IN MTSS PROGRAM IS IMPLEMENTED WITH FIDELITY AT ALL GISD CAMPUSES.
SPECIFICALLY, WE WANT TO ADDRESS THAT APPROVALS BY THE BOARD, FOR EXAMPLE, THE HIRING OF
[02:15:01]
OR THE PROCESS TO HIRE AND IS DIRECTLY GOING TO ADDRESS SOME OF THESE CONCERNS.THE CREATION OF AN MTSS DIVISION IN GISD IS GOING TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THIS CONCERN AS WELL.
NEXT, WE'D LIKE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CONTINUUM OF SERVICES AND PARTICULARLY THE PROVISION OF SPECIALLY DESIGNED INSTRUCTION.
AND SO AS WE MENTIONED EARLIER, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT CONTINUUM IS THAT PLACE OF WHERE A STUDENT WITH A DISABILITY IS IN FACT GOING TO RECEIVE THEIR SERVICES AS OUTLINED IN THEIR IEP.
AND WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT EVERY STUDENT WITH A DISABILITY HERE IN GISD HAS ACCESS TO A PLACEMENT OPPORTUNITY ALONG THAT CONTINUUM THAT IS MOST APPROPRIATE FOR THEM.
AND SPECIFICALLY, WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS WHO DO REQUIRE A MORE RESTRICTIVE PLACEMENT, SUCH AS A SPECIAL SCHOOL OR A SELF-CONTAINED CLASSROOM, LEARNING EXCLUSIVELY WITH OTHER STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, THAT THOSE DECISIONS ARE MADE THOUGHTFULLY.
THOSE DECISIONS ARE DATA DRIVEN, AND THERE'S ALWAYS A PLAN FOR ENSURING THAT A STUDENT, WHEN POSSIBLE, HAS ACCESS TO THEIR GENERAL EDUCATION PEERS.
AS IT RELATES TO SPECIALLY DESIGNED INSTRUCTION FOR CONTEXT, THAT'S HOW A STUDENT WITH A DISABILITY MAY IN FACT BE RECEIVING INSTRUCTION NOT RELATED TO A RELATED SERVICE.
SO THIS ISN'T ABOUT OT OR PHYSICAL THERAPY.
AND WHEN WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ANALYZE PROCESSES HERE IN GISD, WE LEARNED THAT SPECIALLY DESIGNED INSTRUCTION OFTENTIMES IS INDICATED ON A STUDENT'S IEP IN 15 MINUTE INTERVALS, PARTICULARLY FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE LEARNING IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION SETTING.
AND SO WHY IS THAT RELEVANT? 15 MINUTES IS NOT VERY MUCH SO.
IF A STUDENT IS IN GENERAL EDUCATION, THAT COULD THEORETICALLY BE A SPECIAL EDUCATOR POPPING IN HAVING AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK VERY QUICKLY WITH A TEACHER, WORK VERY QUICKLY WITH A STUDENT AND THEN POP BACK OUT.
IDEALLY, SPECIALLY DESIGNED INSTRUCTION IS HAPPENING AT LONGER INTERVALS.
AND OF COURSE, THOSE ARE INDIVIDUALIZED DECISIONS.
BUT A 15 MINUTE INTERVAL WAS A UNIQUE FINDING AS PART OF THE STUDY.
AND SO NUMBER THREE IS REALLY RELEVANT AND SOMETHING THAT I KNOW AS A TEAM HERE AT PCG, WE WANTED REALLY THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO EACH OF YOU ABOUT AND THAT'S ADHERENCE TO THE INTENT AND SPIRIT OF IDEA.
AND REALLY, THAT IS EMBRACING A CULTURE IN GISD THAT CELEBRATES STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.
WE WELCOME OUR DOORS TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.
WE WANT THEM TO BE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY.
WE ARE INTENTIONALLY CREATING OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE TRIUMPHS.
AND IT'S REALLY THAT FROM THIS, FROM THE BOARD DOWN TO OUR CENTRAL OFFICE TEAM MEMBERS TO OUR SCHOOL BASED PRINCIPALS, TO OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS, TO OUR TEAM MEMBERS WHO ARE WORKING IN THE LUNCHROOM.
WE ALL ARE EXCITED TO HAVE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN OUR PROGRAM, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE REALLY BELIEVE THAT IDEA IS IMPORTANT AND WE'RE IMPLEMENTING IEPS WITH FIDELITY AT ALL TIMES.
AND THAT ALSO TIES INTO THE SPIRIT OF INCLUSIVITY AND WE WANT AS PART OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS AND IDENTIFYING THESE ROOT CAUSES THAT AGAIN, WE FOCUS ON CELEBRATING ALL OF THE UNIQUE STRENGTHS THAT STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES BRING TO THE COMMUNITY HERE IN GISD, AND THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO PRIORITIZE THEIR LEARNING.
AND AS WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONDUCT THIS ANALYSIS, THE NARRATIVE DATA FROM THIS REVIEW REALLY SUPPORTS THE BELIEF THAT STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, PARTICULARLY STUDENTS WITH MORE COMPLEX OR BEHAVIORAL CHALLENGES, ARE SEEN AS DIFFERENT OR SEPARATE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S THE IDEA OF, WELL, I DON'T HAVE THAT PROGRAM IN MY SCHOOL FOR THAT STUDENT.
PERHAPS IT'S THINKING ABOUT IT FROM THE MINDSET OF I HAVE THIS STUDENT IN MY BUILDING.
WHAT CAN I DO TO ENSURE THAT ALL OF THEIR SERVICES, IF POSSIBLE, CAN BE MET HERE SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE? BECAUSE A STUDENT HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL MEANS THAT THEY GET TO BE PART OF THE FABRIC OF THAT COMMUNITY AND TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WHEN POSSIBLE IF THE PROGRAM IS AVAILABLE THERE.
WE ALSO LEARNED THAT THE STAFFING MODEL OR AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED BY THE GIBSON GROUP, IN FACT, NEEDS TO BE RESPONSIVE AND FLUID WHEN SUPPORTING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN GISD.
AND REALLY, I CAN APPRECIATE THE GIBSON GROUP'S PERSPECTIVE AROUND HAVING A STAFFING MODEL THAT SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSES STUDENT NEED.
SO IF WE HAVE A STUDENT WHO TRANSFERS IN, IN FEBRUARY AND WE DON'T KNOW A WHOLE LOT ABOUT THEM, BUT HERE WE ARE IN OUR BUILDING AND WE LEARN THAT THE STUDENT DOES REQUIRE ADDITIONAL ADULT SUPPORT, THAT WE HAVE A STAFFING MODEL, THAT WE CAN RESPOND TO THAT AND BRING THAT ADDITIONAL ADULT SUPPORT IN UNTIL WE BETTER UNDERSTAND IF THAT IS A LONG TERM NEED OR A SHORT TERM NEED IN ORDER TO TRANSITION.
ALSO, THE LEADERSHIP MODEL IN GISD IS MORE SITE BASED, SO WE KNOW THAT SCHOOL PRINCIPALS HAVE A TREMENDOUS VOICE IN HOW SPECIAL EDUCATION PROVISION HAPPENS IN THEIR
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BUILDING.AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE BELIEVE IS A CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW IS HOW DO WE HARNESS PRINCIPAL VOICES COLLECTIVELY IN ORDER TO EMBRACE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN ORDER TO SAY WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE THEM HERE IN OUR BUILDINGS AND IN OUR PROGRAMS. AND WHAT CAN WE DO TO BEST SUPPORT RETENTION IN OUR BUILDINGS? AND THAT AGAIN TALKS A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT STUDENT LEADER VOICE AND RECOGNIZING THAT THAT IS A VERY POWERFUL VOICE HERE IN GISD.
AND BY NO MEANS ARE WE SUGGESTING THAT THAT SHOULD CHANGE.
BUT WE WANT TO HARNESS THAT POWER FOR THE GOOD FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AS OFTEN AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.
AND IN ORDER TO DO THAT, THAT MEANS WE'RE GOING TO ESTABLISH SYSTEMS OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND THOSE SYSTEMS ARE GOING TO BE IMPLEMENTED WITH FIDELITY AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY.
AND SO AS WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN, SPECIAL EDUCATION PROVISION CAN LOOK PRETTY DIFFERENT SOMETIMES DEPENDING UPON WHAT BUILDING YOU MAY GO TO.
AND SO IT'S THE STANDARDIZATION OF THOSE EXPECTATIONS AND THEN ENSURING THAT WE HAVE ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS ARE SERVED ADEQUATELY.
I REALLY ENJOYED READING THE NARRATIVE DATA FROM OUR FACILITIES TEAM.
YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL FACILITIES TEAM.
THE NARRATIVE DATA THAT I READ WAS SO ENCOURAGING AND INSPIRING, AND ONE OF THE QUESTIONS OR ONE OF THE STATEMENTS I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO READ WAS, YOU KNOW, WE JUST WANT TO BE INVOLVED, LIKE, CALL US WHEN YOU JUST THINK THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO PUT A CERTAIN TYPE OF CLASSROOM IN YOUR BUILDING, WE'LL COME OUT, WE'LL MEASURE THE DOORWAY.
WE'LL FIGURE OUT IF YOUR RAMPS ARE WORKING, YOU KNOW SO I WOULD REALLY ENCOURAGE AGAIN ONE OF THE ROOT CAUSES BEING THAT HOW ARE WE BEST USING OUR FACILITIES TEAM AND OUR RESOURCE ALLOCATION? AGAIN, THOSE FOLKS WERE REALLY INSPIRING TO READ, AND I THINK THAT'S A WONDERFUL STRENGTH THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A AN ENTIRE DIVISION OF FOLKS WHO ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN ENGAGING AND SUPPORTING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.
SECOND, TO LAST, WE HAVE REDUCING RESOURCES TO ADDRESS BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS.
AS WE KNOW, THE PANDEMIC HAS HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON EVERYONE, PARTICULARLY STUDENTS.
THIS IS A DIFFICULT TIME THAT YOU'RE LEADING IN, IN EDUCATION, AND WE UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE THAT.
HOW CAN WE HARNESS YOUR EXISTING RESOURCES TO BEST SUPPORT STUDENTS, WHO PARTICULARLY IN THIS CASE, STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES WHO ARE EXPERIENCING MENTAL HEALTH CRISES? AND WE'VE IDENTIFIED AS PART OF OUR ANALYSIS THAT THERE MAY BE A GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS OR A WAY THAT WE COULD RESTRUCTURE HOW INDIVIDUALS ARE SERVING IN ORDER TO PROVIDE MORE STUDENT CENTERED SERVICE PROVISION AROUND MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT AND REALLY RESTRUCTURE.
PERHAPS, AS YOU MENTIONED, MR. SELDERS, THE ARD MEETINGS, HOW ARD MEETINGS OR IEP MEETINGS ARE BEING FACILITATED.
AND LASTLY, ONE OF THE THINGS WE ALSO FOUND WAS REALLY ENCOURAGING WAS THAT FAMILY ENGAGEMENT.
WE HAD A RELATIVELY LOW ENGAGEMENT WITH FAMILIES IN TERMS OF OUR SURVEY.
HOWEVER, THE FAMILIES WHO RESPONDED, THEY WERE REALLY HAPPY.
SO THAT'S HOW WE'VE REALLY CONTEXTUALIZED THOSE FINDINGS WAS OF THE FAMILIES WHO DID PARTICIPATE.
OVERALL, OF COURSE, OVERALL, THE FAMILIES WERE PRETTY HAPPY.
AND SO SOME OF THE BIGGEST FINDINGS THAT WE HAD RELATED TO THE ENGAGEMENT WERE REALLY FOCUSED ON ENSURING THAT MATERIALS ARE TRANSLATED BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, THAT FAMILIES HAVE A DIRECT PERSON THAT THEY CAN TALK TO AND THEY FEEL HEARD BY THE FOLKS WHO ARE SERVING THEIR CHILDREN.
AND SO I WILL TURN THAT BACK OVER TO DR.
WHAT IS YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON WHY THE FAMILY OR THE PARENT ENGAGEMENT IS CONSIDERED LOW? WHAT'S YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THAT? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
I CONTEXTUALIZE IT WITH LOW BECAUSE OF THE 14 PERCENT RESPOND RATE THAT WE HAD TO OUR SURVEY.
IN TERMS OF WHY ELSE, I MAY CONSIDER WHY WE MAY CONSIDER IT LOW FROM AN ANALYSIS PERSPECTIVE IS JUST THAT WE DID NOT HAVE A TON OF FEEDBACK FROM PARENTS THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
THERE ARE PROBABLY A LOT OF REASONS WHY THAT MAY BE.
I KNOW IN MY EXPERIENCE, PARENTS ARE RECEIVING LOTS OF CALLS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC RELATED TO DIFFERENT SITUATIONS OR OPPORTUNITIES OR PHONE CALLS.
AND SO THAT MAY BE INFLUENCING IT.
BUT OUTSIDE OF THAT, I DON'T THINK I COULD SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO WHY THE RESPONSE RATE WAS SO LOW.
I WAS JUST CURIOUS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF DISTRICTS THAT YOU WORKED WITH.
I MEAN, 14 PERCENT IS REALLY LOW, RIGHT? AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION AND THAT'S A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF OUR STUDENT POPULATION.
SO JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S A HUGE DISCONNECT FOR ME WITH THAT.
SO I JUST WANTED TO GET SOME MORE PERSPECTIVE ON THAT.
I WOULD ALSO ADD IN, I THINK UNLIKE SOME OF THE DISTRICTS THAT WE WORK WITH, THERE ISN'T AT LEAST TO DATE THERE HAS NOT BEEN A PARENT EITHER ADVOCACY GROUP OR ADVISORY COUNCIL.
AND SO WITHOUT THAT COORDINATION, IT IS A SLIGHTLY MORE DIFFICULT,
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I'LL SAY, TO HAVE FAMILIES FEEL ENGAGED AND TO TO HAVE THEIR VOICES HEARD AROUND SPECIAL EDUCATION.THERE CERTAINLY HAS ALREADY BEEN PROGRESS MADE TO START THAT KIND OF GROUP HERE AND TO HAVE THAT NETWORK THAT THE DISTRICT SUPPORTS, BUT PARENTS ARE ALSO A KEY PART OF DRIVING.
SO BECAUSE THAT WASN'T AS ROBUST HERE, I THINK THAT CONTRIBUTED TO IT.
IN PLACES THAT WE WORK THAT HAVE EITHER IT'S DEFINED BY LEGISLATION OR A DISTRICT POLICY WHERE THERE ARE EXTENSIONS OF A BOARD THAT ARE FOCUSED ON SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVISORY GROUPS, OR PTAS THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO SPECIAL EDUCATION.
IN THOSE SITUATIONS, WE DO TEND TO HAVE A LOT HIGHER RESPONSE RATE.
SO I THINK IT'S THOSE PARENTS THAT REALLY WANTED TO STEP UP AS PART OF THIS CONVERSATION, BUT WITHOUT A STRUCTURE TO HARNESS SOME OF THE COMMUNICATION AND ACTIVE OUTREACH AND EXPECTATION THAT THE DISTRICT WANTS TO HEAR FROM US.
WITHOUT THAT, I THINK THAT ALSO CONTRIBUTED AS WELL AS THE PANDEMIC, I THINK TO SOME OF THOSE RESPONSE RATES.
MANY OF THESE KIDS WITH SOME OF THESE DISABILITIES COME FROM PARENTS WITH SAME DISABILITIES.
AND MANY OF THESE SAME PARENTS WITH DISABILITIES OF UNTREATED DISABILITIES BECAUSE OF WHERE WE'VE COME.
AND SO YOU CAN'T FLOOD THEM WITH ALL THIS.
IT'S VERY OVERWHELMING TO THEM AND WITHOUT THOSE ADVOCACY GROUPS.
AND SOMETHING I HAVE NOT FOUND IN TEXAS IS NAMI IS NOT REALLY STRONG HERE FOR PARENTS TO ENGAGE AND GIVE THEM THE CONFIDENCE AND THE ABILITY TO FIND LIKE MINDED PARENTS TO BE ABLE TO ASSIST.
THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE LOSING YOUR PARENT ENGAGEMENT.
LET ME FINISH UP HERE, OK? WE'VE ALREADY STARTED TO GO INTO SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT IN THE FULL REPORT THERE ARE ABOUT 16 PAGES OF VERY DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE TO GO NEXT.
I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THEM ON A VERY HIGH LEVEL BECAUSE I THINK YOU'LL SEE THAT THEY'RE VERY MUCH CONNECTED TO THE ROOT CAUSES THAT WE JUST WENT THROUGH.
AND WE ORGANIZE THEM BY DOMAIN OR AREA OF FOCUS.
SO MOST OF THEM, AND I THINK THIS IS A VERY MUCH SIMILAR TO OTHER DISTRICTS, IS THAT THEIR FOCUS IN THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, WHAT ARE WE DOING SPECIFICALLY FOR PROGRAMING? WE'VE TALKED ABOUT MTSS.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE INTERVENTION STRUCTURE, IDENTIFICATION PRACTICES.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT MONITORING THAT DATA, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, FOLLOWING THOSE TRENDS.
SO YOU'RE NOT AT A POINT THAT YOU HAVE SIGNIFICANT DISPROPORTIONALITY.
BUT THERE IS DISPROPORTIONALITY HAPPENING NOW AND KEEPING ON REGULAR TAB OF THAT.
THIS ONE, WE GO INTO QUITE IN DEPTH IN THE REPORT AROUND PRACTICES OF SETTING, AND THIS IS CONNECTED TO HIGH EXPECTATIONS, BUT DEVELOPING IEPS THAT ARE INDIVIDUALIZED.
WE SAW THAT MANY OF THEM WERE SETTING THE STANDARD OF 70 PERCENT AS MASTERY ACROSS THE BOARD, WHEREAS THAT IS A VERY INDIVIDUALIZED CONVERSATION TO BE HAD.
SO THE RECOMMENDATION IS REALLY TO GO IN DEPTH AS TO SETTING NEW EXPECTATIONS AROUND IEP DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING.
SO LOOKING MORE DEEPLY AT WHY STUDENTS WERE IN MORE SPECIALIZED OR SELF-CONTAINED CLASSES AND BEING ABLE TO SET A PLAN TO MEET THOSE STATE PERFORMANCE PLAN INDICATORS AROUND THE LRE CONTINUUM OR PLACEMENT SETTING, WHICH IS CONNECTED TO NUMBER FIVE AS WELL.
EXPANDING THOSE OPTIONS SO THEY'RE NOT SO COOKIE-CUTTER, IF YOU WILL.
SETTING EXPECTATIONS AROUND INCLUSIVE PRACTICES.
SO ESTABLISHING A CULTURE WHERE ALL STUDENTS ARE WELCOMED, ALL STUDENTS ARE SUPPORTED, ALL STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE PART OF THEIR SCHOOL COMMUNITY.
SO WE HAD SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND HOW TO GO ABOUT DOING THAT, ELEVATING RIGOR TO THE COMMENT AROUND 70 PERCENT MASTERY RATE.
THAT IS PASSING 70 PERCENT PASSING.
SO WHAT ARE WE DOING TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS THAT IS PUSHING THE ENVELOPE, SETTING THOSE AMBITIOUS GOALS THAT ARE INDIVIDUALIZED FOR STUDENTS? MR. PRESIDENT.
ON NUMBER EIGHT, WHAT YOU'RE GETTING TWO.
DID YOU AT ALL IN THE STUDY LOOK AT 504.
VERY BRIEFLY, IT WASN'T IN THE SCOPE OF THIS.
THAT COULD BE A WHOLE OTHER STUDY.
IN OF ITSELF, BUT THERE CERTAINLY IS INTERCHANGE BETWEEN THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
AND WHAT WE DID HERE IS THAT 504 IS A CONVERSATION, AND IT CERTAINLY IS A CONVERSATION WHEN IT COMES TO SUPPORTING STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA.
THAT STRUCTURE WE DON'T ALWAYS SEE IN DISTRICTS, IT'S SOMETIMES NOT EVEN AN
[02:30:05]
ALTERNATIVE.BUT HERE WE DID SEE THAT IT WAS AN ALTERNATIVE, BUT PERHAPS SOMETHING YOU WANT TO GO MORE DEEPLY INTO.
OK, SO THAT WOULD BE IF WE WANT TO COMMISSION ANOTHER STUDY.
SO AS WE'VE MENTIONED, ADHERENCE TO INTENT AND SPIRIT OF IDEA, THAT'S THE NOT JUST THE COMPLIANCE ANGLE, BUT WHAT ARE WE DOING TO BUILD THAT INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY THAT STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES ARE, WE'RE PRESUMING THAT THEY'RE CONFIDENT.
WE'RE PRESUMING THAT THEY ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THEIR SCHOOL COMMUNITY.
AND HOW ARE WE HARNESSING SCHOOL LEADERS VOICES TO BUILD A SYSTEM THAT REFLECTS INDIVIDUALIZATION OF SCHOOLS AND KNOWING THE FACT THAT CAMPUSES ARE VERY DIFFERENT AND THAT'S APPROPRIATE AT TIMES, BUT THAT THERE IS COHESION BETWEEN THEM, THERE SHOULDN'T NECESSARILY, OR COHERENCE BETWEEN THEM.
IT SHOULDN'T BE A PROGRAM AT THE SCHOOL LOOKS DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT THAN THE SAME PROGRAM AT ANOTHER SCHOOL.
THERE SHOULD BE A COMMON SET OF EXPECTATIONS AND THAT SCHOOL LEADERS VOICES ARE A PART OF DEVELOPING THAT.
BUT THEY ARE NOT SETTING THEIR OWN STANDARDS ABOUT WHAT THEIR CAMPUS ON THEIR OWN FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SHOULD LOOK LIKE.
WE TALKED ABOUT HUMAN CAPITAL AROUND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AND SOME OF THE WORK THAT CAN BE DONE TO LOOK AT JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND ALIGNING STAFF WHO ARE TRAINED AS MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONERS TO ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO DO THAT WORK RATHER THAN FOCUSING JUST ON ASSESSMENTS.
AND THEN ALL OF THIS IS EMBEDDED IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
THAT'S REALLY YOU'LL SEE IT IN MULTIPLE PLACES IN THE REPORT ABOUT ADDITIONAL TRAINING AS A WAY TO START TO CHANGE THINGS.
AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, YOU'VE GOT THE POLICIES IN PLACE, WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE ALWAYS ADOPTED OR USED CONSISTENTLY IS ANOTHER CONVERSATION.
SO THAT'S OUR RECOMMENDATION IS TO BE ACTUALLY IMPLEMENTING CONSISTENTLY WHAT YOU HAVE DOCUMENTED IN PLACE.
I THINK ABSOLUTELY THERE'S A FOCUS ON PARTNERING.
OUR RECOMMENDATION HERE IS TO THINK ABOUT STRUCTURING CLASSROOMS SO THAT IF A STUDENT IS IN A K TO TWO PROGRAM, THAT THE THREE TO FIVE PROGRAM ISN'T AT ANOTHER SCHOOL LIKE BUILDING THAT CONTINUUM SO THAT STUDENTS ARE NOT BOUNCING AROUND, PARTICULARLY IF THEY'RE HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH TRANSITION.
BUILDING THAT CONTINUUM SO IT'S SUPPORTIVE TO STUDENTS.
AND THEN FINALLY, FAMILY ENGAGEMENT.
SO DEVELOPING A VISION, HOW DO YOU WANT TO ENGAGE PARENTS OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES? HOW ARE YOU REACHING THEM? HOW ARE YOU PROVIDING INFORMATION TO THEM? AND THEN TRAININGS.
THERE CERTAINLY HAVE BEEN TRAININGS ALONG THE WAY.
AND THE WORK THAT THE SPECIAL EDUCATION OFFICE HAS DONE IN THIS AREA IS A START.
BUT THERE ARE SO MANY MORE THINGS.
THERE ARE SO MANY MORE WAYS THAT INFORMATION CAN BE PROVIDED, BOTH IN PERSON AND NOW, I THINK CERTAINLY A SHIFT TO VIRTUAL AS WELL.
AND THEN DOCUMENTATION GUIDES THAT ARE TRANSLATED GUIDES THAT ARE PARENT FRIENDLY TO DEFINE WHAT COULD BE A VERY DIFFICULT, CONFUSING PROCESS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION.
SO ALL OF THAT TOGETHER TO BE ABLE TO IMPROVE THAT PARENT ENGAGEMENT.
SO WE CALL THIS AT THIS POINT, A CALL TO ACTION.
WE'VE SHARED A LOT OF INFORMATION WITH YOU TONIGHT OF WHAT THAT MEANS.
AND TO US, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT IDENTIFYING THE CHALLENGES AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
THIS IS ABOUT CREATING THAT INTENTIONAL, AMBITIOUS PLAN TO MOVE FORWARD TO IMPROVE THE OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.
THIS IS THE TIME, AND I HAVE TO SAY THE DISTRICT IS THERE.
THERE WERE WE'VE BEEN CONTINUING WORK THIS FALL TO START TO DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN.
DR. PARKER IS GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT IT, BUT THAT CALL TO ACTION IS HAPPENING AND THE URGENCY THAT WE FEEL, THE FACT THAT YOU'RE FOCUSING ON THIS, THAT YOU'RE WANTING TO CONTINUE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW TO START TO SHIFT THINGS IS EXTRAORDINARILY ENCOURAGING AND THAT WE SEE GREAT PROGRESS COMING IN THE FUTURE.
WE FEEL THAT SENSE OF URGENCY AND THAT COMMITMENT, AND WE WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU AS A BOARD, AS A DISTRICT LEADERSHIP TEAM TO HAVE A STRONG, FOCUSED VISION FROM WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
WHAT DO WE HOW DO WE DEFINE A STRONG SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO MEASURE OURSELVES AGAINST TO KNOW THAT WE'VE BEEN MAKING PROGRESS ON IT? AND THAT COMMITMENT, THAT HIGH VISION REALLY WILL INVOLVE EVERYBODY.
SPECIAL EDUCATION TOUCHES EVERY SINGLE DEPARTMENT IN THIS DISTRICT.
SO SETTING THAT HIGH EXPECTATION ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS AND BEING COORDINATED THAT WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER TO SUPPORT AND IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR ALL STUDENTS AND PARTICULARLY THOSE WITH DISABILITIES.
YOU'RE AT A TIME WHERE YOU CAN DO THAT.
WE REALLY FEEL STRONGLY THAT THAT'S POSSIBLE.
I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO OUR FINAL SLIDE.
[02:35:01]
DR. PARKER IS HERE TO TALK US THROUGH WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT.SO THIS PROCESS BEGAN IN JANUARY OF 2021, AND PCG HAS BEEN WORKING WITH OUR DEPARTMENT AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND SCHOOLS THROUGH THIS PROCESS TO COME TO THIS FINAL REPORT.
NOW WE BEGAN IN SEPTEMBER WORKING ON AN ACTION PLAN AND THE ACTION PLAN IS TAKING THESE 16 AREAS AND DEVELOPING STEPS STEP BY STEP TO WORK TOWARDS.
I DON'T KNOW THAT ELIMINATION IS THE RIGHT TERM, BUT WORKING TOWARDS MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE ADDRESSED AND CHANGED ALL OF THESE ISSUES AND WE HAVE AN OBJECTIVE FOR EACH ONE OF THEM THAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW AND DRAFT AND A TARGET SO THAT WE HAVE A GOAL AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO MEASURE AND COME BACK TO YOU AND SAY, THIS IS WHERE WE ARE ON OUR TARGET .
OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS SINCE THIS REPORT IS FINALLY PUBLIC.
WE'RE GOING TO RECEIVE MORE FEEDBACK ON OUR ACTION PLAN FROM OUR STAKEHOLDERS.
AND WHAT WE PROPOSE IS TO COME BACK TO THE BOARD IN JANUARY OF 2022 TO PRESENT OUR ACTION PLAN TO YOU GUYS AND GET YOUR FEEDBACK AND YOUR APPROVAL FOR THE STEPS.
AND THEN WE WILL COME BACK QUARTERLY FOR UPDATES OF THE PLAN IF IT IS APPROVED.
BOARD, WE'VE HAD A GREAT PRESENTATION.
WELL, WE'LL START WITH WES JOHNSON FIRST.
THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE REPORT.
AND I TOOK A DIFFERENT APPROACH THIS TIME.
I ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH THE BIG REPORT AND I DIDN'T EVEN LOOK AT THE PRESENTATION BEFORE WE CAME HERE TODAY.
AND TO BE FAIR, I GOT TO ADMIT GOING THROUGH THE PRESENTATION WITH YOU GUYS.
I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE IT WAS BASED ON THE SAME THING, THE OVERWHELMING FEELING I GOT FROM THE REPORT GOING THROUGH IT.
IF I COULD SUMMARIZE IT AND IN LIKE KIND OF AN ELEVATOR SPEECH IS THAT WE HAVE A CAMPUS BASED SYSTEM OF SPECIAL ED AS OPPOSED TO A CENTRAL BASED SPECIAL ED SYSTEM.
AND AS A RESULT, WE HAVE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, SOME PERFORMING AT HIGH LEVELS, SOME PERFORMING LOWER THAN EXPECTED BECAUSE THERE'S NO CONSISTENCY IN THE APPROACH.
I DIDN'T REALLY GET THAT TONIGHT FROM THE PRESENTATION.
I FELT LIKE WE WERE FOCUSED MORE ON ISSUES REGARDING DISPROPORTIONALITY AMONGST IN THE ROOT CAUSE ISSUES.
AND I GUESS THAT BECAUSE THAT WASN'T WHAT I GOT FROM THE REPORT, NECESSARILY I'M GOING TO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT.
BECAUSE THAT KIND OF THE FOCUS ON THAT THREW ME A LITTLE BIT FOR A CURVE.
WITH RESPECT AND LET ME GET THE SPECIFIC SLIDES THAT.
CAN YOU GO TO PAGE 15 IN YOUR PRESENTATION? IT'S DISPROPORTIONALITY IDENTIFICATION RATES.
THIS ONE YEAH THIS WE SPENT A GOOD AMOUNT OF TIME ON THIS SLIDE, AND IT WAS FOCUSED HEAVILY ON THE FACT THAT GISD BLACK STUDENTS ARE 2.5 TIMES MORE LIKELY THAN NON-BLACK STUDENTS TO BE IDENTIFIED WITH AN EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE.
AND YOU GO DOWN, YOU LOOK AT THE DATA AND YOU SEE THE RATIO TWO POINT FIVE.
BUT THEN YOU ALSO GO DOWN AND YOU LOOK AT WHITE AND IT'S 2.31.
SO WOULD YOU CONSIDER WHITES TO BE DISPROPORTIONATELY IDENTIFIED AS WELL.
IS THAT MORE INDICATIVE OF THE FACT THAT WE'RE OVER IDENTIFYING THOSE TWO GROUPS? OR ARE WE UNDER IDENTIFYING THE SIXTY FIVE PERCENT HISPANIC POPULATION BECAUSE THEY DON'T, BECAUSE SO MANY OF THEM ARE IN BILINGUAL OR ELL CLASSES? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, AND I THINK I WANT TO BACK UP AND COMMENT FIRST ON WHY WE TOOK THIS APPROACH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THE REPORT IS DENSE.
THERE ARE A LOT OF CHARTS, A LOT OF INFORMATION, AND SO WE MADE SOME DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT WE WANTED TO FOCUS ON IN TERMS OF CONVERSATION TONIGHT, BECAUSE I THINK WHEN WE STARTED TO PUT TOGETHER ALL OF THESE CHARTS, WE WERE CERTAINLY SEEING A CLEAR PATTERN.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANTED TO ELEVATE.
THE FACT THAT THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION IN THIS REPORT.
I WOULD CAUTION SPECIFIC PULLOUTS OF INFORMATION BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING ACROSS THE ENTIRE PICTURE.
SO COULD IT BE AN UNDER IDENTIFICATION? POTENTIALLY.
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IT'S GOING TO REQUIRE A DEEPER LOOK AS TO GRADES, AS YOU KNOW, GRADE LEVEL.THERE ARE VARIOUS FACTORS THAT WE WOULD WANT TO LOOK AT MORE DEEPLY TO SEE.
DOES IT MEAN UNDER IDENTIFICATION? NOT NECESSARILY.
I MEAN, I THINK THIS WAS A SELECTIVE PULLOUT.
WE PULLED THIS OUT AND SAID BLACK STUDENTS ARE TWO POINT FIVE, SO THEREFORE THEY'RE OVER IDENTIFIED.
I DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW IF THAT'S TRUE.
ARE THEY OVER IDENTIFIED OR IS SINCE THE RATIO IS BASED UPON THE BACK END OR THE FRONT END OR HISPANICS JUST CHRONICALLY UNDER IDENTIFIED? AND I WOULD POINT OUT, THROUGHOUT ALL OF THESE TRENDS, HISPANICS SEEM TO BE TRENDING LOWER.
ASIANS SEEM TO BE TRENDING LOWER.
AND I WOULD POINT OUT WE HAVE FOUR DIFFERENT MAIN CATEGORIES OF STUDENTS.
WE SPEAK 100 LANGUAGES, BUT YOU CAN GENERALLY GET THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR POPULATION IN FOUR.
ANGLO, BLACK, HISPANIC AND ASIAN.
AND OUR ASIAN POPULATION TENDS TO BE A LOT OF ELL STUDENTS AS WELL.
SO THE TWO GROUPS THAT SEEM TO NOT SHOW UP HERE TEND TO BE PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE ELL OR BILINGUAL.
ARE ALSO ONES THAT TEND TO SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF THE TEACHERS THAT ARE IDENTIFYING THESE ISSUES.
AND SO THAT'S I THINK THAT'S A HUGE COMPONENT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS DATA MOVING FORWARD.
I THINK ANOTHER ASPECT OF IT IS THIS NECESSARILY BAD.
IT'S KIND OF PRESENTED IN THIS WAY LIKE IT'S BAD.
I UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE REGARDING DISCIPLINARY CONSEQUENCES CAN BE BAD, BUT I WOULD ALSO POINT OUT THAT'S A TREND IN THE GENERAL STUDENT POPULATION AS WELL THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING TO ADDRESS OVER THE COURSE OF TIME.
SO IT DOESN'T SOUND PARTICULARLY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE SEE IN SPECIAL ED, AS WE SEE IN THE GENERAL ED.
BUT I MEAN, DON'T WE WANT STUDENTS IDENTIFIED IF THEY NEED THE SUPPORTS, IF THEY NEED? BUT I MEAN, IT'S ALMOST AS THOUGH THIS IS BEING PRESENTED AS, LOOK, WE GOT TWO POINT FIVE.
THAT'S I ALMOST THINK THAT WE EVEN THAT OUT BY IDENTIFYING THE PEOPLE IN THESE COMMUNITIES THAT WE'RE CLEARLY PROBABLY MISSING AND GETTING THEM INVOLVED IN THE PROGRAM AS OPPOSED TO SUGGESTING.
AND IF THIS ISN'T THE INTENT, THEN I APOLOGIZE.
BUT IT SUGGESTS THAT WE'RE KIND OF ALMOST PUTTING MARKS ON KIDS AND PUTTING THEM INTO SPECIAL ED AS SOME FORM OF I DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH THIS KID.
YEAH, I THINK YES, I THINK THAT THAT COMMENT IS ABSOLUTELY THE UNDERCURRENT OF WHAT WE WERE HEARING.
I WOULD SAY, I MEAN, THE TEA DOES LOOK AT SPECIFIC THRESHOLDS AND SO WHY WE WERE HIGHLIGHTING AND IT IS VERY SPECIFIC CUT OFFS.
SO WHAT WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT IS THE FACT THAT THESE ARE TRENDS THAT IF ARE NOT FOCUSED ON IN A COMPREHENSIVE WAY ACROSS ALL STUDENT GROUPS, NOT JUST BLACK STUDENTS, THAT YOU'RE SETTING YOURSELVES UP FOR A SANCTION THAT COULD IS TAKES TIME AND INTENSIVE CULTURE SHIFT TO GET OUT OF ESSENTIALLY.
AND SO LOOKING AT THESE TRENDS NOW IS SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT SO THAT YOU'RE NOT IN THAT POSITION.
OK? NOW, WITH RESPECT TO THE REPORT, ESPECIALLY THE ISSUES REGARDING CAMPUS BASED DISPARITIES, HOW MUCH DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THE CAMPUS BASED AFFAIR IS IT A LACK OF ENOUGH CENTRAL OFFICE PERSONNEL HERE? I MEAN, ARE WE A DISTRICT THAT DOESN'T EMPLOY ENOUGH PEOPLE AT CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION TO OVERSEE SPECIAL ED? HAVE WE ALWAYS JUST PUSHED IT OUT TO THE CAMPUS LEVEL AND LET THEM DEAL WITH IT? IS IT SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE THE PEOPLE HERE TO DO IT? WE'RE JUST NOT IMPLEMENTING A PROPER GAME PLAN.
I GUESS THAT WOULD BE THE QUESTION.
IS IT A NUMBERS ISSUE OR IS IT JUST A PHILOSOPHY ISSUE? I THINK IT'S BOTH ISSUE.
I THINK THEY'RE THE CENTRAL OFFICE IS SLIGHTLY LEAN, I WON'T SAY THAT WE'VE SEEN OTHERS THAT OPERATE WITH FEWER CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF.
BUT I THINK IT'S ALSO A WILLINGNESS TO PARTNER BETWEEN THE CENTRAL OFFICE AND SCHOOL BASED LEADERS.
TRADITIONALLY, THAT HAS BEEN, IN SOME CASES, A BROKEN PARTNERSHIP, A BROKEN CONNECTION.
I THINK THAT'S STARTING TO SHIFT FROM WHAT WE'VE SEEN OVER CERTAINLY THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS.
AND IT'S INDICATIVE OF A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL TRAINING AT THE CAMPUS LEVEL AROUND TO OUR COMMENTS AROUND INTENT OF IDEA AN THE SPIRIT OF IT, THAT IT'S NOT AN ACCEPTABLE SOLUTION TO SAY THIS STUDENT, I DON'T HAVE THE PROGRAM HERE, SO THE STUDENT
[02:45:03]
HAS TO LEAVE MY BUILDING.SO I THINK IT'S A COMBINATION OF CERTAINLY HAVING ENOUGH STAFF TO PROVIDE SUPPORT SPECIALIZED STAFF TO PROVIDE SUPPORT AT THE CAMPUS LEVEL, BUT IT'S ALSO TRAINING.
IT'S ALSO SUPPORT AT THE CAMPUS LEVEL TO SAY, LET'S THINK ABOUT THIS DIFFERENTLY IF WE DON'T, IF A STUDENT IS STRUGGLING, IF THEY ARE BEING SUSPENDED, WHAT ARE WE DOING TO SUPPORT THEM? AND WHAT DOES OUR CAMPUS LOOK LIKE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE ALTERNATIVES? AND KIND OF A FINAL THOUGHT BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO MS. GRIFFIN, WHO MIGHT BE GETTING READY TO THROW SOMETHING AT ME FOR TAKING TOO LONG.
I'M NOT ONLY A TRUSTEE ON THIS ISSUE, THIS IS A PERSONAL ISSUE FOR ME.
I HAVE A CHILD THAT RECEIVES SERVICES FROM THE DISTRICT.
I, IN FACT, I HAD AN ARD MEETING TODAY, THIS MORNING, AND I WILL SAY, I MEAN THE THOUGHT THAT SOME CAMPUSES AREN'T GETTING THE SAME SERVICES THAT I'VE EXPERIENCED WITH MY CHILD OR BECAUSE IT'S BEEN A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE, I FEEL LIKE THE ARDS ARE ALWAYS VERY ROBUST.
WE GO THROUGH THE PARENT INVOLVEMENT IS NOT ONLY ENCOURAGED, IT'S ALMOST BEGGED FOR THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
AND SO IF KIDS AREN'T GETTING THAT, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY KID GETS THAT IN OUR DISTRICT.
AND BUT SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT IT'S A LITTLE BIT FRUSTRATING FOR ME TO SEE THAT BECAUSE FROM MY PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE, IT'S BEEN OUTSTANDING AND MY CHILD HAS THRIVED AS A RESULT OF THE SUPPORTS THAT HE'S BEEN GIVEN.
AND, YOU KNOW, STRAIGHT A'S NOW, JUST LIKE ON PATH TO SHATTER EVERYTHING THAT WE THAT WE EVER HOPED FOR.
AND HE IS IN GENERAL CLASSROOM, LEAST RESTRICTIVE SETTING AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
SO I CERTAINLY THAT'S WHERE I WANT OUR FOCUS TO BE ON LEVELING OUT EACH INDIVIDUAL.
THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE DOING IT RIGHT.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ALL DOING IT RIGHT AND MAKING CERTAIN THAT THAT'S THE CASE.
MR. JOHNSON, I WAS JUST SITTING LISTENING.
[LAUGHTER] I DIDN'T WANT TO RUSH YOU, BUT YOU HIT ON SOMETHING THAT IT IS ONE THING TO LOOK AT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.
IT'S ANOTHER THING TO SET THIS TIMELINE.
IT'S ANOTHER THING TO JUST IMPLEMENT AND DON'T MEAN WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU WERE LEADING INTO.
I'M CONCERNED THAT IF THIS BOARD DOESN'T SET A SPECIAL ED GOAL.
ALL RIGHT Y'ALL ARE GOING TO THROW SOMETHING AT ME IN A MINUTE.
IF WE DON'T SET A SPECIAL ED GOAL BECAUSE EVERY TIME WE TALK ABOUT GOALS, EVERYTHING WE SEE REFERENCING GOALS, AND I UNDERSTAND WHAT THE STATE IS GOING TO MEASURE US ON.
BUT AGAIN, I SAY I'M CONCERNED ABOUT 53,000 KIDS AND JUST TRYING TO MEASURE AND SET GOALS OF WHAT THE STATE SAYS FOR US IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE AND TURN OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AROUND.
LOPEZ IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS, WE'VE HEARD THIS SITE BASE.
WELL, I'VE MANAGED GROUPS IN LARGE CORPORATIONS, MULTIPLE TEAMS, MULTIPLE USER BASE.
IF THERE'S A DIRECTION AND WE SAY THAT THIS IS WHAT NEEDS TO BE IMPLEMENTED AND THESE ARE THE PROGRAMS THAT NEED TO BE ON CAMPUSES.
I FIND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND WHY IT'S NOT BEING DONE.
THIS IS JUST THE LINDA GRIFFIN EDITORIAL.
MR. PRESIDENT, I DON'T KNOW HOW ANYBODY ELSE FEELS.
WE DON'T HAVE TO DO IT TONIGHT.
AND THAT THERE HAS TO BE A FOCUS COMING OUT OF CENTRAL OFFICE THAT STARTS SAYING, THIS IS HOW WE'RE GOING TO OPERATE.
AND IF WE DON'T, THEN THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES.
[02:50:02]
THEY ARE HERE FOR ADULTS TO PROVIDE THEM A PATHWAY INTO SUCCESS.SO COMING UP WITH A TIMELINE AND WE HAVEN'T SAID HERE ARE OUR NEW BELIEFS.
I JUST THINK I'M GOING TO GET ANOTHER REPORT AND WE ARE GOING TO NOT MONITOR OVERALL AND NOT DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
THE THREAD TONIGHT HAS BEEN REPEATEDLY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, TRAINING, STAFFING AND THERE'S A MINDSET.
AND HOW ARE WE GOING TO URGENTLY WITH SPEED, WITH HASTE, WITH YESTERDAY? HOW ARE WE GOING TO CHANGE THE BELIEF AND GET US? ON MAYBE 75 AND NOT 635? THAT'S JUST THE WAY I SEE IT.
MS. GRIFFIN, I CAN SO APPRECIATE THE PASSION WITH WHICH YOU SPEAK ABOUT THIS AND MR. JOHNSON TO ADDRESS SOME OF YOUR CONCERNS AS WELL ABOUT SITE BASED MANAGEMENT.
CHANGING A FIXED MINDSET IS REALLY HARD.
SOMEONE CAN GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS OF TRYING TO PERFORM IN A WAY THAT MEETS A METRIC AND A NUMBER.
BUT IF YOU'RE NOT DOING THAT WITH AUTHENTICITY, WHAT DOES THAT REALLY MATTER? BECAUSE I'M A FORMER SPECIAL EDUCATOR, MYSELF AND DR.
RITA PIERSON IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SPEAKERS.
AND IF YOU EVER HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HER WORK, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO SO.
SHE SPEAKS TO YOUR STUDENTS KNOW WHEN YOU DON'T LIKE THEM.
AND WHEN YOU APPROACH THE WORK FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ALL OF MY KIDS ARE MY KIDS, AND I JUST HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE IT WORK FOR MY KIDS, THAT CULTURE IS PERVASIVE.
AND SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT IT FROM CHANGING A MINDSET, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS OVERNIGHT.
IT'S WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL TAKES THE OPPORTUNITY TO REFLECT ON THEIR OWN BIASES OR BELIEF SYSTEM THAT INFLUENCES WHY THEY'RE DOING THE WORK, HOW THEY'RE SHOWING UP IN THE WORK.
AND THERE IS ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY SOLELY DEDICATED.
THERE'S A WHOLE FIELD IN TERMS OF HOW THIS SHIFT CAN HAPPEN, PARTICULARLY THE WORK AROUND MENTAL MODELS IS REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE YOU LOOK AT IT FROM AN ICEBERG THEORY, WE'RE ABOVE THE WATER IS HOW YOU'RE SHOWING UP AND PERHAPS BELOW THE WATER THAT OTHER PART OF THE ICEBERG THAT MAYBE YOU'RE AWARE OF OR YOU'RE NOT AWARE OF OR YOUR COLLEAGUES AREN'T AWARE OF SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCES HOW YOU MOVE THROUGH THE WORLD.
AND SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE MS. GRIFFIN AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.
AND MAY I JUST ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT BEING A FORMER PRINCIPAL.
THE ISSUE ALSO IS CONFIDENCE IN WHICH CENTRAL OFFICE IS DELIVERING THE SYSTEM.
AND SO WHEN YOU JUST NEED TO BE VERY MINDFUL THAT AS WE MATURE IN OUR PROCESSES AND OUR DISTRIBUTION OF SERVICES AND THEY START SEEING A ROBUST SYSTEM, WE WILL GET MORE AND MORE PEOPLE BUYING IN.
AND I DON'T WANT TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION THAT THE PRINCIPALS ARE RUNNING ROGUE WITH SITE BASED DECISIONS.
WE'VE COME A LONG WAY WITH CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION.
WE'VE COME A LONG WAY AND A LOT OF FIELD AREAS THAT WHEN WE FIRST GOT HERE THAT WERE VOIDS, COUNSELING, ALL OF THESE THINGS.
NOW WE'RE UNLAYERING THE ONION AND WE'RE GETTING DEEPER TO THE CORE.
AND BECAUSE WE'RE GETTING DEEPER TO THE CORE, WE'RE ABLE TO START SEEING OTHER AREAS, HENCE THE AUDITS THAT WE NEED TO IMPROVE ON.
SO I APPRECIATE THE BOARD ON BACKING THESE TYPE OF AUDITS, AND I WILL SAY THIS PUBLICLY WHEN THEY SAID THANK YOU TO THE BOARD AT THE VERY BEGINNING.
MOST BOARDS WILL NOT EMBARK ON THIS JOURNEY.
YOU SET A VERY, VERY THING THAT, LIKE MR. JOHNSON.
ONE OF MY DAUGHTERS RECEIVED SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES.
RIGHT NOW, IT'S A LITTLE LESS THAN 10 PERCENT OF OUR POPULATION, AND SOME PEOPLE SAY, WELL, IT'S 10 PERCENT AND WE'RE DOING ALL THAT WE CAN.
AND THIS BOARD IS SAYING, WHAT CAN WE DO TO DO MORE? SO THANK YOU.
I'M GOING TO GIVE MY EDITORIAL HERE ALSO, AND I JUST WANT TO AGREE TOTALLY WITH WES JOHNSON AND MRS. GRIFFIN ON WHAT THEY SAID TODAY.
BUT I ALSO WANT TO MAKE A COMMENT ABOUT HOW ARE WE GOING TO ONE MY HAT'S OFF TO AMY QUINN BECAUSE I WAS AT SHRADY MIDDLE SCHOOL AND I WATCHED HER DO THE ARDS AND EVERYTHING THAT SHE DID THERE AND THE HARD WORK THAT SHE PUT IN.
AND I KNOW THE ROBUST EFFORTS THAT SHE DID WHILE SHE WAS THERE.
BUT HOW DO YOU WAVE THE MAGIC WAND TO GET PARENTS INVOLVED TO MAKE IT TO THOSE ARD MEETINGS? BECAUSE WES WAS EXCITED ABOUT WHAT HIS CHILD IS DOING? BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME, YOU CAN'T GET THE PARENTS INVOLVED AND GET
[02:55:01]
THERE.SO THAT'S THE CHALLENGE THAT WE AS A BOARD IN THE DISTRICT HAVE OF HOW WE GET THOSE PARENTS.
JUST LIKE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT DISPROPORTIONALITY IN OUR DISCIPLINE, IN THAT HANDBOOK THERE, THE PARENTS ARE NOT GETTING INVOLVED AND READING THAT BOOK THAT ALSO TO TALK TO THEIR CHILDREN AND MAKING THEM MAKE THAT CHANGE.
HOW DO WE THEN AS A SPECIAL ED GROUP, GET TO THAT NEXT LEVEL OF GETTING THOSE PARENTS INVOLVED SO THAT WE CAN REALLY MAKE THE INITIAL EFFORTS? WE'RE PUTTING THE DOLLARS INTO IT.
THIS BOARD IS ROBUST ABOUT IT.
YOU GUYS ARE ROBUST ABOUT IT, BUT THERE'S A DIVIDE THERE AND IT'S CALLED PARENTS.
AND HOW DO WE DO THAT? I DON'T KNOW.
IF WE COULD WAVE THAT MAGIC WAND, I AM ALL IN I'M ON BOARD.
YOU CAN RESPOND TO THAT IF YOU'D LIKE.
I THINK YOU'RE SPOT ON IN SAYING THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE SOLVED OVERNIGHT.
I THINK EVEN WHEN WE'RE TALKING TODAY ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO MEASURE PARTICIPATION.
SO MONITORING THAT WHERE YOU HAVING POCKETS, WHERE THAT'S A CHALLENGE, IT'S EVEN GETTING A BASELINE OF UNDERSTANDING WHERE OUR PARENTS STRUGGLING TO PARTICIPATE OR WE'RE NOT MAKING A CONNECTION.
SO I THINK THERE'S ONE DATA PART OF THAT.
I THINK AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT DEVELOPING GROUPS HAVING ACCELERATING THE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARENTS, PROVIDING THEM IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.
SO THE INFORMATION IS ACCESSIBLE BY DIFFERENT LANGUAGES, BY DIFFERENT MULTIMEDIA OPPORTUNITIES.
BREAKING IT DOWN IN DIFFERENT MODES SO THAT ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES CAN ALSO ACCESS THE INFORMATION, BUT ALSO THAT BUILDING THAT COMMUNITY, I THINK THAT'S THE PART THAT WE WERE MISSING SEEING IS THAT CONNECTION TO OTHER PARENTS.
IT MAY NOT HAPPEN OF A PARENT, YOU KNOW, PARENTS DOING THIS INDEPENDENTLY OF THE DISTRICT.
IT MIGHT TAKE SOME OF YOUR EFFORTS TO HELP MAKE THAT EASIER TO BRING PARENTS TOGETHER AND THEN IT'LL TAKE OFF.
WE'VE SEEN IT HAPPEN IN OTHER PLACES, BUT IT'S STARTING, YOU KNOW, DOING ALL OF THOSE THINGS TOGETHER.
YOU'RE NOT GOING TO REACH EVERY PARENT WHO WANTS TO BE PART OF A GROUP.
BUT IF THERE IS A COMMUNITY THAT THEY CAN GO TO FOR RESOURCES, THEY SEE THE DISTRICT IS PROVIDING INFORMATION THAT'S HELPFUL TO THEM.
THAT, IN TURN, IS THE START TO BEING ABLE TO HAVE ADDITIONAL PARTICIPATION IN ARD MEETINGS.
I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO BE AND I'M GOING TO TRUMP YOU NOW.
WELL, THE THING THAT REALLY BOTHERS ME IS WE THROW A LOT OF SURVEYS OUT THERE AND WE DON'T GET THE RESPONSES BACK THAT WE WANT.
AND WE THINK THAT THAT PIECE OF PAPER IS GOING TO DO IS GOING TO BE THAT QUICK FIX THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THAT DATA AND DO SOMETHING WITH IT, AND IT MAKES IT VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.
AND THAT'S WHY, LIKE I SAID, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MAGIC WANT IS TO MAKE THAT REALITY HAPPEN, BECAUSE, LIKE YOU SAID, EACH CAMPUS IS KIND OF ON THEIR OWN AND ALL OVER THE MAP, AND THERE NEEDS TO BE CONSISTENCY THERE BECAUSE IF WE WERE ALL DOING THE SAME THING, THEN WE COULD HAVE A BETTER PROGRAM AND A BETTER IDEA OF HOW TO ENCAPSULATE ALL OF THIS.
SO I APPRECIATE YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS, I APPRECIATE THE REPORT, AND I THINK THAT THE FUTURE IS GOING TO BE VERY BRIGHT FOR SPECIAL ED IN GARLAND ISD BECAUSE I THINK THIS BOARD IS REALLY READY TO GO WITH YOU GUYS ON THIS.
SO THIS IS THE SEGUE WITH WHAT MR. BEACH WAS SAYING.
I GOT AN EMAIL TODAY FROM THE COUNCIL PTAS AND I SHOULDN'T BE ANNOUNCING THIS BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO ANNOUNCE IT TOMORROW.
[LAUGHTER] I'M BURSTING THEIR BUBBLE, BUT THEY'RE GOING TO START WHAT IS CALLED THE SAGE COMMITTEE.
[LAUGHTER] SO DO YOU WANT TO COME UP AND TALK ABOUT THE SAGE COMMITTEE REAL QUICK, SINCE YOU'RE PART OF IT.
SO WHY DON'T YOU TELL THEM WHAT THE SAGE COMMITTEE IS AND WHAT IT REPRESENTS? AND THIS COULD NOT BE A PERFECT SEGUE TO WHAT YOU JUST SAID.
I AM THE PRESIDENT OF YOUR COUNCIL PTA.
MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN TO OUR MEETINGS AND SUPPORTED US, SO THANK YOU.
WE ARE ANNOUNCING TOMORROW THE FORMATION OF A SAGE COMMITTEE, WHICH IS A SPECIAL AND GIFTED EDUCATION COMMITTEE, AND OUR FIRST FOCUS IN OUR INAUGURAL YEAR IS OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION FAMILIES.
AND WE WILL BE CREATING PARENT FORUMS AND WE WILL BE ENGAGING WITH THE SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND REALLY TRYING TO BE THAT CONDUIT THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT BETWEEN THE PARENTS AND YOU.
ONE THING I KNOW AS A SPECIAL ED PARENT IS MOST PARENTS DO NOT KNOW WHAT'S AVAILABLE TO THEM, AND SO THEY DON'T KNOW THAT MISSING THAT ARD MAKES A DIFFERENCE AND THEY DON'T KNOW JUST ASKING A QUESTION IS GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COUNCIL PTA WITH THE SUPPORT OF TEXAS PTA IS
[03:00:03]
REALLY LOOKING TOWARD IS TO BE THAT PARENT VOICE IN THE SPECIAL EDUCATION POPULATION.[APPLAUSE] AND IF I COULD JUST ADD ON TOP OF THAT, WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO BE PARTNERING WITH THEM TO PARTICIPATE WITH OUR PARENTS.
WE'VE ALSO BEEN WORKING WITH FACE AND LOOKING WITH DR.
AGUILAR ABOUT HOW WE CAN BETTER REACH OUT TO OUR PARENTS AND GROUPS TO GET THEM INVOLVED.
SO THAT IS GOING TO BE A PART OF OUR PLAN AS WELL.
I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY AS A PARENT WITH SPECIAL ED.
KEEP IN MIND THAT WE'RE EASILY INTIMIDATED, SO BRING IT DOWN TO OUR LEVEL SO THAT WE'RE COMFORTABLE AND I'M SUPER EXCITED AND I CAN'T WAIT TO PARTICIPATE AND GET SOME PARENTS TO GO OUT ON THE ROAD AND TELL OTHER PARENTS THEIR STORIES SO THAT THEY CAN SEE THAT THERE'S LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL.
MR. MILLER, I HAVE ONE QUESTION.
AND MAYBE DR. LOPEZ, I SHOULD DIRECT THIS TO YOU, IS THIS GROUP DONE WITH US? ARE THEY ARE WALKING ALONG WITH US IN THE NEXT STEP? MAYBE THAT'S BENTLEY.
YES, MA'AM, I CAN ANSWER THAT.
OK, SO NO, THIS GROUP IS NOT DONE WITH US.
THEY PROBABLY WISH SOMETIMES THEY WERE DONE WITH US.
BUT WE'RE GOING TO PROPOSE AS PART OF OUR ACTION PLAN THAT WE CONTINUE WORKING WITH THEM IN SEVERAL AREAS, ONE OF WHICH WILL BE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
AND WE HAVE A PLAN FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH WITH PCG THAT WE'LL ROLL IN PHASES, STARTING WITH CENTRAL OFFICE AND GOING TO TEACHERS.
SO THAT'S ONE PIECE THEY'RE GOING TO HELP US ALSO LOOKING AT SOME OF OUR PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES THAT WE'RE GOING TO ROLL FORWARD WITH THEM.
SO THERE IS GOING TO BE MORE IN THE FUTURE AND WE'LL BE WITH THEM AT LEAST FOR TWO OR THREE OR FOUR YEARS AS WE'RE WORKING THROUGH.
AND I ASKED THE QUESTION, I WASN'T SURE, BUT I THOUGHT, BUT I THINK THAT'S KEY IN MOVING FORWARD BECAUSE WHEN WE LEAVE IT LIKE WE FINISHED JUST THEN, IT'S LIKE IT'S ALL IN OUR HANDS TO DO.
WHEN WE ALREADY KNOW WE CANNOT, IT'S A HUGE TASK.
SO I THINK AS WE TELL THE STORY AND AS WE SAY WHERE WE'RE GOING, WE HAVE TO SAY WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE THE PARTNERSHIP AND I KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO NEED A VOTE FROM US.
I MEAN, I KNOW WHAT THE DEAL IS.
BUT AGAIN, YOU STILL HAVE TO SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU NEED TO PLANT SEEDS WITH US FOR US TO UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE SEEING YOUR VISION AND WHO YOU WANT TO PARTNER WITH.
CAN I ADD ON TO SOMETHING THERE REAL QUICK.
AS WE FOLLOW THE TIMELINE AND WE'RE COMING INTO JANUARY OF 2022 SINCE PUBLIC FACING ACTION, A PLAN YOU KNOW I WOULD PERSONALLY LIKE TO SEE AS A BOARD MEMBER THE INFORMATION THAT WE'RE PROCESSING THROUGH THIS, AS MR. GRIFFIN WAS SAYING IN THE BOARD, INSIGHT FROM OUR SUPERINTENDENT, JUST KIND OF JUST A LITTLE BLIP, A LITTLE STATEMENT OF WHAT HOW WE'RE PROGRESSING AS WE GO THROUGH.
IF WE COULD DO THAT AND THAT WAY, WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO HAVE Y'ALL COME BEFORE A MEETING EVERY TIME.
BUT AT LEAST THAT WOULD TELL US WHERE WE'RE GOING.
IN THAT WAY WE KNOW, TOO, THAT WE ARE STILL WORKING THIS PROCESS.
SO WE CAN BEGIN THAT AT ANY POINT, WE COULD BEGIN NOW EVEN THOUGH WE'RE IN DRAFT, BUT PARTICULARLY AFTER WE COME BACK, WE CAN ADD THAT AS PART OF OUR ACADEMIC INSIGHTS EVERY WEEK.
I THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING AS YOU WERE KIND OF PHILOSOPHIZING ON IDEA BECAUSE I NEVER ACTUALLY HEARD IT IN SUCH WORDS BEFORE.
WHERE I WOULD DISAGREE WITH YOU ON A CERTAIN BASIS IS I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH SPECIAL ED FOR QUITE A WHILE IN THIS DISTRICT.
AND WHAT I'VE SEEN AT THE CAMPUSES IS INCREDIBLE COOPERATION.
NOW I'M TRYING TO THINK, WAS IT SELECTIVE CAMPUSES BECAUSE IT WAS ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOLS, AND IT WAS ALL OF THEM, WHETHER IT WAS GOING TO SAN ANTONIO,
[03:05:06]
WHETHER IT WAS SPECIAL OLYMPICS, WHETHER IT WAS WHEN WE HAD OUR BOND PROGRAM.WE DIDN'T SET ASIDE SPECIAL DOLLARS, BUT WE FOUND SPECIAL DOLLARS AND WE BUILT ALE BATHROOMS. WE EXPANDED NURSES CLINICS FOR THE KIDS TO MAKE SURE THEY COULD.
SO AND WE'VE BEEN DOING THEM FOR AWHILE.
SO I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THE DISCONNECT IS THAT YOU'RE MENTIONING.
MS. GRIFFIN IS SAYING A BOARD POLICY.
BUT THE QUESTION IS WHAT IS A GOAL? WHAT DO YOU SAY? IS THERE SOME NUMBER YOU TALK ABOUT? IS THERE SOME COOPERATION BASIS? IS THERE SOME NUMBER YOU LOOK AT IN TERMS OF PERCENTAGES OF THIS AND THAT? I'M NOT REALLY SURE.
I NEED TO DO IS AT SOME POINT WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER BOND.
AND YOU MENTIONED HERE FACILITIES AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION.
THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT'S JUST PHILOSOPHICAL.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF MONEY.
WE CAN DO THIS AND WE SHOULD DO THIS.
BUT CONVEYING WHAT YOU WERE TRYING TO CONVEY TO PRINCIPALS THAT CAN BE DONE AND MAYBE THERE ARE PRINCIPALS WHO DON'T QUITE GET WHAT IDEA SHOULD BE THAT COULD BE DONE BECAUSE WE GET THE PRINCIPALS TOGETHER ALL THE TIME.
SO, I MEAN, YOU COULD COME AND ADDRESS THEM.
THIS IS PHILOSOPHICALLY HOW YOU SHOULD BE RUNNING YOUR CAMPUS.
I THINK MOST OF THEM THAT I'VE MET DO RIGHT NOW, SO I'M NOT SURE WHERE THAT IS.
WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST, THOUGH, IS AS YOU BRING YOUR PROGRAM FORWARD AND YOU WILL BE DOING THAT SOON, GIVE US IDEAS ON SPECIFICS.
WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM US? WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM THE ADMINISTRATION? WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IF, IF AND WHEN, WHICH IS NOT SHOULDN'T BE AN IF, BUT WHEN, WHEN WE DO OUR NEXT BOND? OK, WHAT CAN WE DO NOW WITH RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE? I THINK IF WE PUT ALL THAT TOGETHER, THEN THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN CONCRETELY SAY, OK, WE CAN DO THIS.
OK, THAT'S MINE AND THANK YOU, SIR.
THE BIG TAKEAWAY FOR ME ON THE DISCONNECT IS IT IS WHAT I REALLY WALKED AWAY FROM THIS IS IT'S MORE THAN JUST PROVIDING THE ENVIRONMENT.
WHAT ARE WE DOING INSTRUCTIONALLY? WHAT ARE OUR ACADEMIC EXPECTATIONS? AND WHAT I WALKED AWAY FROM THE REPORT WITH IS THAT OUR ACADEMIC EXPECTATIONS FOR OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS HAVE NOT BEEN AT CONSISTENTLY HIGH LEVELS ACROSS THE DISTRICT FOR THAT GROUP OF STUDENTS.
NOW, WHEN YOU SPEAK TO TARGETS, THERE ARE SOME GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS AS FAR AS WHERE TO AT LEAST START.
WE'VE GOT SOME HISTORICAL TRENDS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT PERFORMANCE, BUT AGAIN, THAT'S PERFORMANCE BASED ON OUR CURRENT EXPECTATIONS.
WE HAVE SOME GUIDANCE IN OUR ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM IN DOMAIN THREE, WHERE WE'VE GOT CERTAIN TARGETS AT ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE HIGH SCHOOL AND DISTRICTS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN FOUR CRITICAL AREAS.
WE ALSO HAVE THE RESULTS DRIVEN ACCOUNTABILITY THE RDA SYSTEM USED TO BE CALLED PBMAS FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE AND THOSE SET TARGETS IN KEY AREAS NOT ONLY FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION BUT ALSO IN BILINGUAL AND ESL EDUCATION, HOMELESS MIGRANT STUDENTS THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT KEY INDICATORS.
NOW I WILL TELL YOU, MUCH LIKE WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE STATE PERFORMANCE PLAN TARGETS AT 98 PERCENT PROFICIENCY RIGHT WITHOUT REALLY ANY ARTICULATION IS PROFICIENCY APPROACHES.
IS IT MASTERS THAT REALLY WASN'T ARTICULATED.
RDA ALSO SETS VERY HIGH EXPECTATIONS AND TARGETS AND THEN MEASURES HOW FAR AWAY YOU ARE FROM THOSE TARGETS.
SO IF YOU ARE AT OR ABOVE YOU, MEET THAT RDA INDICATOR.
IF YOU'RE WITHIN DEPENDING ON THE INDICATOR, IT MAY BE A RANGE OF 5 TO 10 PERCENT OF THAT TARGET.
THEN YOU MIGHT GET AN INDICATOR OF ONE.
AND SO THE HIGHER NUMBER OF INDICATORS THAT YOU HAVE AT LEVEL TWO, THREE OR EVEN FOUR IN SOME OF OUR ACADEMIC INDICATORS, THE MORE SEVERE AND THE FURTHER YOU ARE AWAY FROM THOSE TARGETS.
WE DO HAVE SOME EXAMPLES OF WHERE WE COULD SET SOME OF THOSE SPECIAL EDUCATION.
BUT I WOULD ADVOCATE THAT THEY NEED TO BE ACADEMIC RELATED GOALS BECAUSE WE'RE DOING A GOOD JOB WITH PROVIDING AN ENVIRONMENT.
AND NOW WE NEED TO PROVIDE THE ACADEMIC EXPECTATIONS.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT I AGREE WITH WHAT SHE SAID ONE HUNDRED PERCENT AND THE OTHER BIG PART OF DISPROPORTIONALITY THAT WE HAVE IS IN BEHAVIOR THROUGH OUR RDA AND ADDRESSING THAT NEED, WHICH WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO AND LOOKING AT ROOT CAUSE AND THOSE THINGS.
I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE ANOTHER PART OF WHAT YOU COULD CONSIDER IN THE
[03:10:02]
PLAN THAT WE ARE BRINGING TO YOU.IT DOES HAVE STEP BY STEP PIECES AND IT IS LAID OUT IN THE TIMELINE OVER THREE TO FIVE YEARS STARTING NOW, BUT OVER THREE TO FIVE YEARS STEP BY STEP.
AND IT WILL SAY VERY SPECIFIC THINGS THAT WE WILL NEED IN ORDER TO PROGRESS.
SO IF IT'S MISSING ANYTHING WHEN WE COME BACK, OF COURSE, I'LL ASK WHAT DO WE NEED TO ADD WHAT QUESTIONS? AND IT WILL BE A LIVE DOCUMENT THAT AS WE PROGRESS THROUGH TIME AND WE LEARN THROUGH TRAINING, THROUGH WORKING, THROUGH COLLECTING OTHER DATA, WE MAY HAVE TO READDRESS SOME THINGS OR WE MAY HAVE TO CHANGE THE SCOPE TOTALLY OF WHAT WE HAD SET FOR A GOAL.
OR WE MAY MEET A TARGET AND NEED TO MOVE THE TARGET UP.
SO IT'S NOT GOING TO BE A STATIC DOCUMENT EITHER.
OH, CAN I ADD ONE MORE THING BEFORE, I JUST WANT TO GIVE DR.
RUSSELL YOU GUYS I HAVE SO MUCH GRATITUDE AS THE INTERIM FOR THESE GUYS BECAUSE IT TOOK A LOT TO DO THIS AND THEIR GUIDANCE AND THEIR LEADERSHIP.
AND THEY HAVE ALL SAID, WE'RE GOING TO DO WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AND WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS.
WE ARE GOING TO DO THE RIGHT THINGS FOR KIDS.
WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE PEOPLE TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT FOR KIDS.
THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO ECHO WHAT MR. JOHNSON SAID ABOUT READING THE REPORT AND HEARING THE PRESENTATION TONIGHT BECAUSE IT SEEMED TO BE A HUGE DISCONNECT IN TERMS OF WHAT I READ VERSUS WHAT I WAS HEARING.
AND I DON'T WANT TO LOSE SIGHT OF THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, WES, WHILE YOUR EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN GREAT.
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT AREN'T HAVING GREAT EXPERIENCES WITH THEIR KIDS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION WITH RESPECT TO HOW THEIR EXPERIENCE WITHIN THE DISTRICT.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I'M HOPING THAT BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO RETAIN PCG WITH THE ROLLOUT PLAN AND WHAT WE'RE PLANNING TO DO, WILL YOU GUYS ALSO BE ABLE TO HELP WITH SYSTEMS BECAUSE I DIDN'T REALLY HEAR SYSTEMS TALKED ABOUT A WHOLE LOT.
I HEARD INFORMATION ABOUT SITE BASE AND THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER.
BUT WHEN I READ THE REPORT, THERE ARE COMMENTS THAT LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, ADMINISTRATORS AND WE HAVE A LOT OF TEACHERS THAT STILL HAVE THIS MINDSET THAT I DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH IT.
AND SO WHEN WE HAVE PARENTS THAT ARE ENGAGED IN AT VARIOUS LEVELS WITH MEETINGS IN ARDS AND ALL OF THAT, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT THAT EXPERIENCE MIGHT BE LIKE FOR THEM.
AND SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PARENTS THAT MIGHT HAVE STUDENTS THAT HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS OR THEY HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS THEMSELVES AND HOW THEY INTERACT AND INTERFACE WITH OUR DISTRICT WITH RESPECT TO THAT, HOW THAT COULD BE TOUGH FOR THEM TO DO.
AND ALSO AROUND MS. GRIFFIN'S GOAL COMMENT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE PULL THAT IN WITH DISTRICTS THAT YOU'VE WORKED WITH THAT HAVE A DIFFERENT SYSTEM AND DIFFERENT LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE IN TERMS OF HOW THEY ROLL OUT THEIR SPECIAL ED PROGRAMS AND SERVE THOSE STUDENTS? ARE THERE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS, AS WE HEARD WITH THE HR AUDIT, ARE THERE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS WITHIN DISTRICTS THAT YOU KNOW WHOSE STUDENTS DO THRIVE IN THAT LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND WHAT THINGS THEY'RE DOING? DO WE HAVE THAT OR IS THAT GOING TO BE A PART OF WHAT IS GOING TO BE ROLLED OUT WITH THE INFORMATION THAT YOU'RE GOING TO SHARE WITH US THROUGH INSIGHTS OR ON A QUARTERLY BASIS OR HOWEVER THAT COMES BACK TO US? HOW IS THAT GOING TO LOOK? I MEAN, DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY FEEDBACK FROM YOU THERE? I CAN GIVE YOU A SNEAK PREVIEW.
SO WE HAVE THE WAY THAT THE PLAN IS ESTABLISHED RIGHT NOW IS THAT WE HAVE SPECIFIC ACTION ITEMS UNDER EACH RECOMMENDATION.
ALONG WITH THAT, THERE'S AN OBJECTIVE.
SO WHAT ARE WE AIMING FOR? WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO DO BASED ON THIS RECOMMENDATION? AND THEN HOW ARE WE MEASURING IT? SO AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE CONSOLIDATED THE PARENT RECOMMENDATIONS TOGETHER.
SO THERE ARE 15 TOTAL AND EACH HAS A MEASUREMENT, AN INDICATOR OF WHAT ARE WE DETERMINING TO BE SUCCESS BY FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS RECOMMENDATION.
WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH SOME OF THEM, BUT 15 INDICATORS IS A LOT TO MANAGE.
IT'S A LOT TO KEEP YOUR EYE ON OF THAT.
BUT TRYING TO CONSOLIDATE IT EVEN MORE IS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A RISK OF LOSING SOME OF THE DETAIL, TOO.
SO THERE ISN'T A PERFECT NUMBER.
SOME DISTRICTS HAVE PAGES AND PAGES OF INDICATORS THAT THEY MONITOR AND WE HELP THEM MONITOR OVER TIME.
OTHERS HAVE SAID WE ONLY WENT FIVE.
TELL US THE FIVE THINGS THAT IF WE DO THIS, THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE THAT THERE'S
[03:15:03]
CHANGE HAPPENING.I THINK HERE WE'VE KIND OF STRUCK A BALANCE IN BETWEEN OF HAVING ENOUGH DETAIL, BUT WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO MEASURE AND NOT JUST MEASURING, NOT JUST KEEPING TRACK OF DATA FOR DATA SAKE.
SO I THINK WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THAT.
I THINK THAT THE 15 INDICATOR, THE 15 GOALS WITH DATA ASSOCIATED WITH THEM ARE GOING TO GIVE YOU A KEY PIECE IF YOU'RE MEASURING THIS YEAR AFTER YEAR, WHICH IS WHERE WE FIND DISTRICTS FALL APART.
FRANKLY, THEY DO THIS REVIEW AND THEY HAVE A PLAN.
AND THEN THERE'S NO WITHOUT PUBLIC.
ALL OF YOU, BACK TO THE COMMUNITY, WITHOUT KEEPING YOUR EYE AND FOCUS ON IT.
IT BECOMES VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE DID WE MAKE PROGRESS WHAT HAPPENED SEVERAL YEARS AGO? I THINK A FIVE YEAR CYCLE LIKE WE TALKED LIKE THE HR CONVERSATION IS AN APPROPRIATE TIME TO COME BACK AGAIN.
BUT THAT REQUIRES ALSO MONITORING OVER TIME TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENED AND KEEP TRACK OF ALL THOSE DATA POINTS.
I DID WANT TO THANK MS. BURKFIELD AND MS. AMBER FOR, YOU KNOW, BEING HERE AND TALKING ABOUT THE SAGE PROGRAM.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, TO MR. BEACH'S POINT ABOUT PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT, I THINK ENGAGEMENT LOOKS DIFFERENT FOR DIFFERENT PARENTS.
AND SO WE CAN'T ASSUME THAT ONE MODEL IS GOING TO FIT ACROSS THE BOARD.
SO WE HAVE TO BE PROACTIVE IN MAKING SURE THAT WE OPEN UP THOSE CHANNELS SO THAT PARENTS KNOW THAT WE WANT TO HEAR FROM THEM AND THEN THAT WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO SHARE THEIR FEEDBACK AND GIVE US THEIR INPUT.
ANYBODY ELSE? JUST REAL QUICK OBSERVATIONS I HAD IN GOING THROUGH THE FULL REPORT, NUMBER ONE KIND OF A PARALLEL MAYBE 15 YEARS AGO, I WENT ON THE LOCAL HOSPITAL BOARD.
AND THE FIRST AUDIT REPORT, I READ ON THE HOSPITAL I SPENT THE FIRST TWO DAYS TRYING TO WRITE DOWN ALL THE ACRONYMS, SO I KNEW WHAT THE HECK WE WERE TALKING ABOUT.
[LAUGHTER] AND THEY WOUND UP GIVING ME A BOOK ABOUT THIS THICK WITH ALL THE MEDICAL ACRONYMS. AND WHEN I PICKED THIS UP AND STARTED READING THROUGH IT, I MADE IT THROUGH PAGE 50 AND I HAD ABOUT 50 ACRONYMS THAT I WROTE DOWN.
SO I WAS JUST KIND OF GRINNING TO MYSELF.
HERE WE GO AGAIN, YOU KNOW, I NEED TO LEARN.
BUT KEEPING UP WITH ALL THE ACRONYMS WITHOUT A GLOSSARY OF SOME KIND WAS KIND OF DIFFICULT FOR THOSE THAT ARE NOT IN THE INDUSTRY.
BUT OVERALL, WHEN I READ THE REPORT AND TO KIND OF NOT THAT I CAN DRAW CONCLUSIONS.
FIRST OF ALL, I THINK, YOU KNOW, BY THIS BOARD, THIS BOARD DOESN'T SIDESTEP ANYTHING THAT YOU KNOW, THAT'S BROUGHT BEFORE US THAT WE NEED TO DO.
IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S HARD OR EASY, WE'RE NOT GOING TO SIDESTEP IT BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE ROAD IS A STUDENT, THAT NEEDS US TO MAKE PROPER DECISIONS.
SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, YOU KNOW, IF I WERE GOING TO HAVE A GOAL AFTER READING THIS REPORT, ONE OF MY MAIN GOALS WOULD BE THE NEXT TIME YOU COME YOU DON'T HAVE TO ASK A QUESTION LIKE, WHO IS THE CHAMPION FOR SPECIAL ED STUDENTS ON OUR CAMPUSES? AND THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAKE AN OBSERVATION THAT MAYBE SOME PEOPLE WITHIN OUR DISTRICT VIEWING OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AS A LIABILITY TO THE CAMPUS.
WHEN I DON'T THINK THAT'S SHARED BY ANYBODY UP ON THIS PODIUM.
SO IF WE WERE GOING TO HAVE A GOAL, THAT'S KIND OF MY TWO GOALS RIGHT NOW.
LARRY THERE'S NOT A MATHEMATICAL MEASUREMENT FOR THAT, BUT I THINK IT'S REAL EASY TO KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE THE MOMENTUM, WHEN YOU HAVE THE POSITIVE MOMENTUM GENERATED BY GOOD, GREAT AND CAPABLE PEOPLE LIKE WE HAVE IN THIS ROOM TONIGHT THAT ARE DEDICATED TO THIS.
I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE SOME REAL POSITIVE CHANGE.
I AM NEVER, NEVER DISAPPOINTED AND I'M NEVER DISCOURAGED WHEN I LEAVE THIS ROOM, NOT AFTER WE GO THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE THIS WHERE WE DEAL WITH SOMETHING DIFFICULT BECAUSE I KNOW THE NEXT TIME WE TALK ABOUT IT, THERE WILL BE POSITIVE IMPROVEMENT.
SO I APPRECIATE THE FACT WHOEVER'S IDEA IT WAS TO DO THIS AUDIT.
THAT'S WHO I WANT TO THANK BECAUSE IT JUST GETS US FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD AND THANK YOU TO ALL THE STAFF.
MILLER AND MARIA, I CAN NEVER SAY YOUR LAST NAME SO I'M NOT GOING TO EVEN TRY.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO WHAT I THINK IS GOING TO BE A VERY POSITIVE PROCESS.
MR. MILLER, IF I COULD JUST ADD SOME CLOSING WORDS.
I WANT TO COMMEND OUR DISTRICT LEADERSHIP AS WELL AS THE BOARD AS WELL AS THE SPECIAL EDUCATION STAFF.
THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST AUDITS THAT WE'VE RELEASED IN FULL PUBLICLY, SO WE'RE
[03:20:04]
NOT SHYING AWAY FROM ANY OF THE OUTCOMES FROM ANY OF THE CONCLUSIONS.I WOULD URGE YOU TO READ THROUGH THE AUDIT TWO OR THREE TIMES, BECAUSE EVERY TIME THAT I'VE REREAD IT, I'VE WALKED AWAY WITH A DIFFERENT CONCLUSION AND A DIFFERENT AH HA.
SO I APPLAUD YOU ALL FOR BEING BOLD AND COURAGEOUS.
THAT'S NOT NEW FOR THIS BOARD.
BUT I'M JUST I'M SO EXCITED FOR WHERE OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENT PERFORMANCE IS HEADED.
ALL RIGHT, BOARD, I'M GOING TO SAY THAT WRAPS UP ITEM B, THE NEXT THING ON OUR DOCKET, ON OUR AGENDA IS FOR AN EXECUTIVE SESSION, BUT I KNOW OF NO NEED FOR AN EXECUTIVE SESSION, SO THERE'S NO NEED TO RECONVENE FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION.
SO I'M LOOKING FOR A MOTION TO ADJOURN.
THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.