August 19, 2021 at 6:00 PM - Special Meeting

Description:  Background: The District employs full-time professional employees in positions requiring a certificate from the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC), nurses under a probationary or term contract and other designated employees. The purpose of this agenda item is to facilitate Board approval of these contracts.

Recommendation: It is the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of Trustees approves the employment of these individuals as indicated on the list which is provided at the Board Meeting.

Description:  Priority #5: Optimize All Available Resources
Background: Consider matters pursuant to the Texas Education Code (TEC), Chapter 49, Subchapters A and D, and rules adopted by the Commissioner of Education as authorized by the TEC, 49.006 including authorizing the Board President, Board Secretary and the Superintendent of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD to execute any documents necessary for the purpose of reducing its local revenue to an amount not to exceed the level established under TEC, 48.257 for the school year for Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD. 

The District is required to sign and submit a contract that informs the state which option has been chosen to reduce its local revenue level for the 2021-22 school year.  There are five (5) options available to reduce local revenue levels.

Option 1 - Consolidate with another district,
Option 2 - Detach property,
Option 3 - Purchase attendance credits from the state,
Option 4 - Contract to educate nonresident students, and/or 
Option 5 - Consolidate tax bases with another district.  

Staff recommends electing Option 3 to achieve the required local revenue level for the 2021-22 school year.

For the 2021-22 school year, we are requesting delegation of contractual authority to obligate the school district under Texas Education Code (TEC) §11.1511(c)(4) to the Superintendent, solely for the purpose of obligating the District under TEC, 48.257 and TEC, Chapter 49, Subchapters A and D, and the rules adopted by the Commissioner of Education as authorized under TEC, 49.006. This includes approval of the Agreement for the Purchase of Attendance Credits. (Netting Chapter 49 Funding).

TEA requires all districts classified as a "Chapter 49 District" to execute an agreement each year.

Recommendation: It is the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of Trustees approves the authorization of the Board President, Board Secretary, and the Superintendent to execute Chapter 49 documents, including the attached Agreement for the Purchase of Attendance Credits.

 

Description:  Background: The monthly financial reports presented to the Board for consideration will include budget amendments (when applicable), budget summary year to date reports, construction summary report, outstanding investments, and tax office reports.
This report includes the following items:

1.    Budget Amendments Year-to-Date as June 30, 2021
    a.  Proposed Budget Amendments for Official Budgets

2.  Budget Summary Year-to-Date as June 30, 2021
    a.  Unaudited Revenue Summary including:
        i.    Adopted Budget
        ii.    Current Amended Budget
        iii.    Realized to-date Revenue
        iv.    Unrealized Revenue
        v.    Percentage Revenue Realized
    b.  Unaudited Expenditure Summary including:
        i.    Adopted Budget
        ii.    Current Amended Budget
        iii.    Cumulative to-date Expenditures
        iv.    Unencumbered Balance
        v.    Percentage of Budget Expended for the following funds:
                1.  General Funds
                2.  Special Revenue Funds
                3.  Debt Service Funds
                4.  Capital Projects Funds
    c.  Construction Summary including:
        i.    Total Project Plan
        ii.    2020-21 Project Plan
        iii.    2020-21 Expenditures
        iv.    Balance
        v.    Percentage of Budget Expended

3.  Outstanding Investments as of June 30, 2021 

4.    Tax Office Reports for the month of June 2021
        a.  Year-to-Date Collection 2020-2021 Report for June
        b.  Refunds of over $500 for Board Approval for June - None

Recommendation: It is the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of Trustees accepts the financial reports for June 2021.

Description:  Priority #5: Optimize All Available Resources
Background: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, food service operations of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Student Nutrition Services program were severely altered for both the 2020 and 2021 fiscal years.  Because of the shift in the educational delivery system caused by the pandemic, student participation and revenue in the program were drastically reduced.  The reduced revenue has caused the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Student Nutrition program to operate at a deficit and rely on reserves to meet its financial obligations.  Those reserves have been depleted.  The General Fund will transfer funds to the Student Nutrition fund as part of the close of the 2020-21 fiscal year to make up the difference.

Because the district is still operating in the midst of the pandemic, the Student Nutrition program may need to have funds transferred next year as well for the 2021-22 fiscal year.  The purpose of this agenda item is to establish potential transfers of this nature as a loan from the General Fund to the Student Nutrition Fund for fiscal year 2022.  

This loan can be made by the District’s General Fund at no interest, in the amount not to exceed $3,500,000 in fiscal year 2022.  It is in the best interest of the District to also attempt to recoup these funds after the Student Nutrition program has recovered, which could be in 2023 or subsequent years if necessary. 

Recommendation: It is the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of Trustees approve the agreement for the Student Nutrition Fund to recieve a loan from the General Fund as described.
 

Description:  Priority #1: Optimize Engaging and Diverse Learning
Background:  It is being requested that Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD offer a Temporary Online Option for the first nine weeks for students in grades K-6. This Temporary Online Option will allow students to engage in at-home learning virtually utilizing CFBISD instructional resources in kindergarten through 6th grade, ages where COVID-19 vaccinations are not yet available. Students whose parents choose the Temporary Online Option will begin the school year on Monday, August 23. The Temporary Online Option will be available for students in grades K-6 at least through the first nine weeks of school and may be extended as necessary.

Recommendation:  It is the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of Trustees approve the Temporary Online Option as presented. 

Description:  Priority #5: Optimize All Available Resources
Background: The Governmental Accounting Standards Board ("GASB") has adopted Statement 54 ("GASB 54"), a standard for governmental fund balance reporting and government fund type definitions that became effective in governmental fiscal years starting after June 15, 2010.  The 2020-21 fiscal year will be the 11th year of the implementation of GASB 54 for CFBISD.
The five categories of fund balance are defined in CE(Local) as follows:

•    Non-spendable fund balance, which shall mean that portion of the gross fund balance that is not expendable (such as inventories) or is legally earmarked for a specific use (such as the self-funded reserves program).
•    Restricted fund balance, which shall include amounts constrained to a specific purpose by the provider, such as a grantor.  
•    Committed fund balance, which shall mean that portion of the fund balance that is constrained to a specific purpose by the Board.  Committed fund balance is a result of formal action by the school board requiring funds to be used only for specific purposes decided by the school board. Committed amounts cannot be used for any other purpose unless the school board formally reverses or changes the specific purpose for the funds by taking formal action to reverse the commitment.  These commitments are not considered legally enforceable since they can be reversed by the school board at any time.  
•    Assigned fund balance, which shall mean that portion of the fund balance that is spendable or available for appropriation but has been tentatively earmarked for some specific purpose by the Board, who has delegated authority to the Superintendent.
The District will commit portions of its unassigned fund balances as follows:

Building construction, repair and renovation - (estimate $3m)
Technology capital replacement - (estimate $4m)
Transportation upgrades - (estimate $3m)
Safety and security - (estimate $3m)
Campus activity funds - (estimate $1.5m)
State revenue stabilization - (estimate $27m)

Recommendation: It is the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of Trustees approve the resolution to implement GASB 54 and to commit a portion of the District’s unassigned fund balance.

Description:  Background: The adopted budget provides authority to expend funds for the purposes indicated in accordance with state law, Board Policy, and the District’s approved purchasing procedures.

Public funds of the District may not be spent in any manner other than as provided for in the budget adopted by the Board of Trustees, but the Board may amend a budget or adopt a supplementary emergency budget to cover necessary unforeseen expenses. Texas Education Code 44.006(a)

Each year in August, the Business Office performs a final review of estimated expenditures and proposes a final budget amendment for Board consideration and approval.  

Recommendation:  It is the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of Trustees approves the 2020-2021 Final Budget Amendment Report as presented.
 

Description:  Priority #5: Optimize All Available Resources
Background: The District has met all notice requirements as prescribed in Texas Education Code Sections 44.004 and 44.0041. On August 19, 2021, the District held a meeting at which the public had an opportunity for comment.

The Board of Trustees, at a meeting called for that purpose, shall adopt a budget to cover all expenditures for the school district for the next succeeding fiscal year for the following funds:

•    Maintenance and Operations;
•    Debt Service; and
•    Food Service.

The Maintenance and Operations (General Fund) results in a surplus of $500K. The Debt Service and Student Nutrition budgets both result in balanced budgets. 

Recommendation: It is the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of Trustees  approves and executes the Resolution adopting the 2021-2022 budget.

Description:  Priority #5: Optimize All Available Resources
Background: The District has met all notice requirements as prescribed in Texas Education Code Section 44.004 and 44.0041.  On August 19, 2021 the District held a meeting at which the public had an opportunity for comment.

The proposed Resolution sets the 2021 tax rate in 2 component parts:

     Maintenance and Operations (M&O) tax rate of $1.00125
     Interest and Sinking (I&S) tax rate of $0.20000

This vote will be recorded listing those voting for and against this Resolution. 

Even though this is an actual drop of the total tax rate from $1.25470 last year to $1.20125 (a reduction of .05345 pennies), any motion to adopt must use the following language: "I move that the property tax rate be increased by the adoption of a tax rate of $1.20125, which is effectively a 0.9% increase in the tax rate" and execute the resolution setting the tax rate for tax year 2021."

Recommendation: It is the recommendation of the Superintendent that the Board of Trustees approve that the property tax rate be increased by the adoption of a tax rate of $1.20125, which is effectively a 0.9% increase in the tax rate" and execute the resolution setting the tax rate for tax year 2021.