August 21, 2023 at 5:30 PM - Regular Meeting

Description:  Administration recommends amending the General Fund budget for the following:

Cost of adding additional officers	52	$   (450,000)	increase expense
Increased Revenue from Legislature for adding Officers		$    151,776	increase revenue
Prior Year Budgeted Police Car Equipment	52	$     (62,272)	increase expense
Prior Year Beyond District costs	11	$          (851)	increase expense
Prior Year Advertising Budget Plus additional for new year	41	$     (43,600)	increase expense
Insurance costs	51	$   (124,131)	increase expense
Maintenance cost for new admin bldg	51	$          (675)	increase expense
Safety grant cameras revenue	00	$        9,688	increase revenue
Safety grant cameras	52	$       (9,688)	increase expense
PY Reading academy 1/3 cost not completed June	13	$     (38,000)	increase expense
Charter buses for games due to excessive heat	36	$     (30,441)	increase expense
Athletics excess costs for insurance, helmets, officials	36	$     (30,000)	increase expense
Prior Year Convocation allocation	13	$       (8,000)	increase expense
Prior Year Maintenance costs	51	$     (55,600)	increase expense
HS Assistant	41	$     (40,000)	increase expense
AP Sub West	23	$     (38,772)	increase expense
Transfer between funds for Sped $4850	11 & 21	$             -	net zero
Transfer between funds for Fine Arts travel $3000	11 & 23	$             -	net zero
Transfer between funds for Blue Haze Counselor $159	11 & 31	$             -	net zero
SHARS 2 Aides for Special Programs new students	11	$     (61,820)	increase expense
SHARS Travel new Special programs Director	21	$       (5,000)	increase expense
SHARS MSB fees	41	$     (25,000)	increase expense
SHARS Cost Report		$      91,820	increase revenue
RISE supplies	11	$          (750)	increase expense
		$     (771,316)	$                                       -

Administration recommends amending the Child Nutrition budget.  This amendment nets zero.

Supply Chain Assistance Grant		00	$      22,393	Increase revenue
Food for Supply Chain	Carryover	35	$    (22,393)	increase expense
Commodities - revenue		00	$    145,000	Increase revenue
Commodities		35	$  (145,000)	increase expense

Description:  The Memorandum of Understanding will allow a full time adviser to work on the Brewer High School campus and assist students with college enrollment. This MOU with White Settlement Independent School District has three main goals: 1. increase college enrollment of Brewer High School graduates; 2. expand the range of colleges and universities to which students apply and in which they enroll; and 3. work with principals, counselors and teachers to foster a school-wide-college-going culture.

 

Description:  Due to the Thanksgiving break, winter break, and MLK holiday, and spring break, staff recommends that we move the Regular November Meeting to Monday, November 13, 2023, the December Regular Board Meeting to Monday, December 11, 2023, the January Regular Board Meeting to Monday, January 22, 2024, and the March Regular Meeting to Monday, March, 25, 2024.  

Description:  Policy Update 121 includes revisions to legal policies based on the updates to the Texas Administrative Code.

Description:  Tarrant County 4-H membership is requesting all local school districts to adopt a resolution which sanctions 4-H as an extra-curricular activity. This will allow students who participate in the Tarrant County 4-H Program to attend the activities without receiving an unexcused absence. It is requested that the Board approve the Tarrant County Extension Agent as an adjunct faculty member, so that they may direct and supervise all activities and participation of students during 4-H activities. This appointment is solely for the purpose of complying with the new State Board of Education amendment, and the adjunct faculty member is not an employee of the district and does not receive any compensation as such.

Description:  The teacher appraisal process requires at least one certified appraiser. An appraiser must be the teacher’s supervisor, or a person approved by the Board. A list of appraisers who will be responsible for conducting teacher appraisals is attached.

Description:  The Student Code of Conduct is the district's response to the requirements of Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code that addresses student discipline. The current Student Code of Conduct must be adopted each year.  A copy of the revised Student Code of Conduct is attached.

 

Description:  The purpose of this waiver is to allow The Virtual Academy of North Texas to offer in person courses in conjunction with our online courses (ie: Band, athletics, CTE...)

Description:  The district received a quote from Renaissance Learning to renew our software agreement. This software is used to help WSISD students improve their performance on STARR Math and Reading tests. The District has been utilizing this software to assist students in recovering from learning losses due to COVID-19 shutdowns and has seen improvement in student testing scores.

The total cost for the renewal of this software for the 2023-24 school year was $26,710.73 and has been paid from the current approved budget.
 

Description:  The District released Request for Proposal #2224-001: Professional/Consulting Services for Special Education. This RFP is an extension of RFP #2223-005: Professional/Consulting Services for Special Education and was released due to an inability to meet our current need for Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP) services. We received responses from 3 vendors.

The following list of vendors responded that they are able to provide LSSP services. If the Primary Vendor is unable to provide the requested service, another vendor from the board approved list will be utilized. The awarded vendors from RFP #2223-005 will still be utilized if they are able to provide the previously awarded services.
 

1	E&T Amaya, Inc.
2	Jayne B Company dba Marker Learning

This expense is included in the current budget.
 

Description:  The district requested quotes for courier services for our bank deposits. Fort Worth Couriers is the vendor that was used last year, and we have been satisfied with their service. They continue to provide the best pricing option for the district. The annual cost for the 23-24 school year is $17,892.

This expense is included in the Child Nutrition budget.
 

Description:  The Student Unpaid Meal Charges and Courtesy Meal Policy has been in place for many years.  We are no longer able to order Peanut Butter so the policy no longer states PB sandwich as a courtesy meal.

Description:  The updated Public Comment Section of the Board Operating Procedures has been changed to allow individuals that want to address the Board more options to sign-up for the Public Comment section of the Board meeting and the updated procedures allow more time for sign-ups.
 

Description:  Texas Political Subdivision (TPS) renewal for 2023-24 has a 31% increase.  A large portion of this increase is due to the increased asset value of our buildings.

The coverages included in the package are:
 

COVERAGE	DEDUCTIBLE	PREMIUM
General Liability		$4,004
School Board Legal Liability	$10,000 per claim	$20,827
Law Enforcement	$5,000 per claim	$2,430
Auto Liability & Physical Damage		$33,493
Property		$657,561
Electronic Data	$2,500 per occurrence	Included
Contractor’s Equipment	$2,500 per occurrence	Included
Equipment Breakdown	$10,000 per accident	included
Crime		$1,934
Cyber Liability		$7,230
Crisis Management		Included
Total		$727,479

Description:  White Settlement ISD has bonds which are subject to redemption prior to the stated maturity, at the option of the district. It is in the best interests of the district to redeem a portion of these bonds in the near future. For the purposes of exercising this option, an Order Authorizing Redemption of Outstanding White Settlement ISD Bonds will delegate the authority to fully execute these transactions to the Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations.

It is the districts' recommendation that an Order Authorizing Redemption of Outstanding White Settlement ISD Bonds be approved, delegating authority to the Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations to exercise our option to redeem a portion of our outstanding bonds.
 

Description:  The District is proposing a 2023 tax rate of $.7492 per $100 valuation for maintenance and operations (M&O) and a $.4600 per $100 valuation for interest and sinking (I&S) for a total tax rate of $1.2092 per $100 valuation.

The M&O tax rate is calculated and certified using the TEA Tax Rate Survey template. The M&O compressed rate calculated was $.6192. The District is allowed to add $.05 to the compressed rate without an election. The District passed a Voter Approved Tax Rate Election (VATRE) in November 2021 to add this $.05 plus $.08. The total proposed M&O tax rate is $.7492, a reduction in taxes of $0.1882.

Administration is recommending a 2023 property tax rate of $.46 per $100 valuation for Interest and Sinking (I&S), bond payments.  The Board of Trustees have a resolution to approve an Order Authorizing Redemption of Outstanding Bonds.  This order allows the District to adopt an I&S rate above the calculated rate for the purpose of paying off bonds before their scheduled maturity date.  The prior year I&S tax rate was $.48.  The decrease is $.02 per $100 valuation or 4.2%. 

The total proposed tax rate is $1.2092 per $100 valuation.  This is a decrease of $.2082 or 14.7% less than last year’s rate. 

 

Description:  Details will be discussed in closed session.