Keller ISD Board Meeting Notes According to Me

Ok, here is a summary of what happened at the board meeting tonight. We left after the discussion about budget cuts when they started talking policy. I hope I understood everything correctly, and I am doing my best to interpret what I heard. I'm sure David Stevens and our principals will be able to put things in more eloquent terms than myself.

Staffing Cuts

Three different cut options were presented to the board. The option recommend for adoption to the board was the one that saved the librarians, middle school academic associates, 66 teachers, and what they referred to as 'other professional instructional staff' (this is the category that the 34 fine arts positions fall in, I think). These jobs are being saved for ONE YEAR with federal money the district is getting through a fund called EduFund. This is $4.8 million that we will only see for the next school year. They recommended this option because they said it buys the district a year to figure out how to restructure things for when we will inevitably have to cut these positions at the end of the 11-12 school year. They also said that they would not have to cut any counselors or nurses because these positions were eliminated through attrition already (I think I understood that correctly). Of course, they are not going to fill any positions and there will probably be a lot of shuffling around. They made it clear that they would still have to cut 113 campus professional positions at the end of the 11-12 school year. They were adamant about making any other staffing cuts hastily so that no one is left hanging, wondering about their job for too much longer.

Salary Schedule

THERE WILL BE NO RAISES FOR ANYONE IN KELLER THIS YEAR. They also made it clear that the superintendent has not received a raise in 3 years, contrary to popular belief out there in tea party land. They adopted a salary schedule that was essentially the same as last year, so there is not even going to be that small incremental raise that you get for your extra year of service. You will be making the same as you did this year.

Transportation

Dr. V proposed a pay to ride system. This is the only way we can still keep buses. I was unclear about how much it would cost, and they were looking in to having assistance programs for needy families. They were saying that the kids would have a transportation account just like they have a lunch account. They were also talking about allowing anyone to pay to ride, even if you are within the mile and half radius of the school. It was stated that there is still a lot of research and numbers to crunch before a plan can be presented, and that there will be more discussion about this at the next board meeting.

Furlough Days and Other Cuts

If Senate Bill 8 passes this week, KISD will have the option to furlough teachers for three days. Dr. V brought this up as a possibility to think about and said it would be discussed further at the July meeting. He also said that there would be several other budget cuts to deal with at the July meeting as well.

I hope that I understood all of this correctly and am reporting to you accurately. Don't shoot me if I misunderstood anything!!! I was very impressed with our board. They did a great job of making sure that several of the false rumors that some voters had were dispelled and stated on record. I hope everyone understands that the next school year is going to cost more out of pocket for families than if the TRE would have passed. I also found out this week that the supporters behind the VOTE NO movement were not even from Keller. I am disgusted at this display of politics. I hope I do not offend anyone with this statement, but I do not understand how educators can continue to vote for these republican leaders that are so hell bent on destroying public education. Rick Perry wants to privatize education and he is definitely on his way to doing so. He needs to be stopped. They all need to be stopped.

Suz, This Blog is For You!

Yes, I have STILL been a very bad blogger. The only excuse I have is that I was so busy with work that I had nothing else to write about but band. That is pretty much all I've had going on since March. A lot as happened - good and bad. First, for the good news!

We found out last week that the recording of our top band will be advancing to the state level for Texas Honor Band. This is a huge deal for us. We had some stiff competition at the Region and Area level. This is our first time to submit for this contest and we never imagined it would go this far so soon. We thought this would be something we would be working towards several years from now. We are thrilled that our band will be representing Keller at the Texas Bandmasters Association Clinic/Convention at the end of July. We will be competing against 13 other bands and I will be perfectly fine if we place 14th!

In other good news, I have booked myself a vacation!!!! I will be spending four nights at a resort in Mexico later in July. It's my 32nd birthday present to myself! I'm leaving on my birthday and I'll be back just in time for the TBA convention. I was super excited to find a small resort that is brand new, and from the reviews on Trip Advisor, seems to only be booked to around 30% capacity most of the time. This is perfect for me! I'm not the kind of person that likes to be around large crowds of people, so this place seemed to fit the bill. The resort is in Playa del Carmen and is called Azul Fives. I can't wait for a little rest and relaxation!

And in even more good news I got to see my favorite gal, Chelsea Handler, in person yesterday at her book signing in Allen. We waited in line for nearly two hours, but it was worth the wait. She was was so nice.

And I got my book signed! Really, all you can read is my name, but trust me, that is actually her autograph. If you don't know who Chelsea Handler is, let me explain. She is a comedian with a late night show on E! and has written several books. She is highly inappropriate, says absolutely everything that she is thinking, and is a single, independent career girl. I love her for all of these reasons. I'm saving this book and one of her others that I have yet to read for my vacation.

And for some bad news. We found out late last night that the citizens of Keller decided that forking over $15-$20 more a month in taxes was too much to maintain all of the exceptional programs that Keller ISD has been able to offer. I am appalled that this measure did not pass and I know that the people who voted against this do not fully understand the ramifications this will have on KISD. I was already having second thoughts about staying in Keller before this mess, and now I am seriously considering my options. I am very anxious to hear from our administrators to see what the final damage is going to be. It's going to be bad. There is nothing in Keller but the schools. There is nothing else brining in revenue except for real estate. Why do I want to stay here now? This is a mandate from the residents that they do not support teachers, they do not value education, and they clearly do not value their community. I have a lot of thoughts weighing heavily on me and some pretty big decisions to make. I'm going to wait to hear from the administrators before I share any more. I guess for now, I'll just try to make the most of my summer and enjoy my time off.