* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:36] COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER HALL. COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER SALANA WILL NOT BE HERE TODAY. COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER BROCK HOUSE COUNCIL MEMBER SAN DEVAL HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER LIAS. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY ERIC AND MAYOR NURNBERG. MAYOR, WE DO HAVE A QUORUM. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. WELCOME TO OUR CITY COUNCIL B SESSION AGENDA. THE TIME IS 2:15 PM THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. UH, TODAY WE HAVE ONE ITEM ON THE AGENDA REGARDING PRE-K FOR SA. UH, SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO OUR CITY MANAGER, ERIC WALSH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, COUNCIL, GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, THIS AFTERNOON'S B SESSION IS A PRESENTATION BY DR. BRAY ON OUR, UH, OUR PRE-K FOR S A C E O THAT HIGHLIGHTS A NUMBER OF THE PROGRAMS, UM, CURRENTLY UNDERWAY AS WELL AS THE BUDGET FOR THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR. UM, JUST A REMINDER, THE PRE-K FOR SA WAS A VOTER APPROVED HIGH QUALITY EARLY LEARNING INITIATIVE, AND TODAY WE'RE IN THE SIXTH YEAR OF THIS PROGRAM. UM, DR. BRAY IS GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS, BUT PRE-K FOR SA IS A, IS IS A COMPREHENSIVE INITIATIVE THAT HAS FOUR MAIN COMPONENTS. ONE, UM, MODEL EDUCATION CENTERS THAT SERVE, UH, 2000 CHILDREN EACH, UH, IN, IN FOUR QUADRANTS OF THE CITY. FAMILY OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, UM, THAT, UH, ARE, THAT'S OFFERED, UM, TO OTHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. AND FOURTHLY, UH, THE ISSUANCE OF COMPETITIVE GRANTS THAT PROVIDE, UM, OUR PARTNERS TO INCREASE QUALITY. A RECENT STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE U UH, FOR US BY DR. MIKE AL AT THE URBAN EDUCATION INSTITUTE AT U T SS A, UH, CONCLUDED THAT STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN PRE-K FOR SA PERFORMED BETTER IN MATH AND READING AND HAD BETTER ATTENDANCE FROM KINDERGARTEN TO THIRD GRADE. AND DR. BRAY IS GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, THOSE FINDINGS IN MORE DETAIL IN THE PRESENTATION. UM, FINALLY, AS PART OF THE PRESENTATION TODAY, UH, DR. BRAY WILL REVIEW THE PROGRAM'S BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING JULY 1ST. UH, THE PRE-K FOR SA BOARD OF DIRECTORS ADOPTED THE THE 2020 BUDGET DURING THEIR BOARD MEETING LAST WEEK, AND, AND I WAS IN ATTENDANCE. AND THE, UH, BYLAWS OF THE PRE-K FOR SA PROGRAM REQUIRE THE CITY TO COUNCIL TO APPROVE THE BOARD ADOPTED BUDGET ANNUALLY. AND, UH, PENDING, UH, SOME INPUT FROM YOU TODAY. UM, WE, UH, HOPE TO BRING THIS TO THE COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL ON MAY 2ND. WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DR. GRAY. THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER. WALSH. IT'S MY PLEASURE TO BE HERE, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, TO PRESENT OUR FISCAL YEAR 2020 BUDGET. UM, AND AS CITY MANAGER WALSH SAID, IT WAS ADOPTED LAST WEEK BY OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS. UM, AND BEFORE WE GET INTO THAT ACTUAL, UM, BUDGET, I WANNA SHARE SOME, UH, BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM. AND I'VE INCLUDED, UH, PICTURES, LOTS OF CUTE PICTURES OF OUR KIDS 'CAUSE THEY'RE ADORABLE. AND THESE ALL ARE ACTUALLY CHILDREN FROM PRE-K FOUR S A, UH, PRE-K FOUR S A IS A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE AND WAS DESIGNED TO CHANGE SAN ANTONIO'S EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE TRAJECTORIES IN ONE GENERATION. UM, WE DO THIS THROUGH HIGH QUALITY EARLY LEARNING. AND WHILE WE'RE NOT A UNIVERSAL PRE-K PROGRAM, OUR GOAL IS TO BENEFIT ALL 25,004 YEAR OLDS IN SAN ANTONIO. AND A, A GOOD PERCENTAGE OF, UH, YOUNG CHILDREN WHO ARE OLDER THAN FOUR, AS WELL AS, UM, UH, YOUNGER THAN FOUR. SO, JUST A, A BRIEF, UM, TIMELINE OF WHERE WE'VE BEEN AND HOW WE GOT TO WHERE WE CURRENTLY ARE. PRE-K FOUR S A WAS CONCEPTUALIZED BY THE BRAIN POWER TASK FORCE, WHICH WAS A MAYOR POINTED, UM, GROUP THAT WAS LED BY GENERAL ROBLES OF U S A A AND CHARLES BUTT OF H E B. UH, THESE TWO CO-CHAIRS WERE JOINED BY OTHER EXCEPTIONAL COMMUNITY EDUCATION, UM, LEADERS WHO STUDIED FOR A YEAR ALL THE OTHER EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTIONS THAT YOU COULD USE TO IMPROVE, UH, SAN ANTONIO'S EDUCATION TRAJECTORY. AND AS I HAVE OFTEN SAID, UM, THIS WAS A VERY SMART GROUP, AND SO THEY LANDED ON EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION 'CAUSE WE KNOW THAT THAT IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO IMPROVE, UH, COMMUNITY OUTCOMES. IN 2012, THE ISSUE [00:05:01] WAS PUT BEFORE THE VOTERS AND WAS PASSED IN A REFERENDUM. AND THIS ALLOWED US TO, UM, RAISE OUR SALES TAX BY AN EIGHTH OF A ASCENT TO FUND THIS PROGRAM. FROM 2012 TO 2016, OUR PROGRAM WAS REALLY IN ITS RAMP UP PHASE WHERE WE WERE OPENING CENTERS, BEGINNING OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, AWARDING OUR FIRST GRANTS. THE LAST TWO YEARS HAVE REALLY BEEN ABOUT US REFINING AND SYSTEM SYSTEMATIZING OUR PROGRAM TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT TEAM, THE RIGHT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND THE RIGHT PROCESSES TO DELIVER ON THE PROMISES OF PRE-K FOUR S A. AND AS I'M EXCITED TO SHARE WITH YOU, AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE IN THE LATER IN THE PRESENTATION ABOUT WE ARE MOVING INTO OUR REPLICATION PHASE, AND THIS IS WHERE WE ARE, UM, HELPING OTHER PROGRAMS TO, UM, IMPLEMENT THE QUALITY, UM, PROCESSES AND, UM, EDUCATIONAL STRUCTURES THAT WE HAVE DEVELOPED AT PRE-K FOR SA SO THAT THEIR PROGRAMS CAN ALSO DELIVER ON THE PROMISE OF HIGH QUALITY EARLY LEARNING. SO PRE-K FOUR S A IS ACTUALLY A 5 0 1 C ORGANIZATION KNOWN OFFICIALLY AS THE SAN ANTONIO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATIONAL MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, AND WAS ESTABLISHED THROUGH A COUNCIL RESOLUTION. UH, THE CA CITY COUNCIL APPOINTS THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS WHO OVERSEE THE OPERATION AS WELL AS THE CITY MANAGER HAS A ROLE IN OVERSEEING THE PROGRAM AS THE CITY EXECUTIVE. SO THIS CREATES A DUAL REPORTING STRUCTURE FOR ME, UM, WHICH IS IT, UM, WORKS REALLY QUITE WELL. THE BOARD IS FANTASTIC AT WORKING WITH THE CITY MANAGER TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ORGANIZATION IS WELL RUN. THESE ARE OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS. UM, YOU, UM, APPOINTED THEM SO YOU KNOW THEM. AND I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THE OUTSTANDING BOARD MEMBERS THAT WE HAVE. THEY ARE FOLKS THAT REALLY TAKE THEIR RESPONSIBILITY, UM, VERY SERIOUSLY. THEY ASK GREAT QUESTIONS. THEY HOLD US ACCOUNTABLE TO OUR MISSION, AND THEY ENSURE THAT THE TAXPAYER INVESTMENT IS WELL SPENT. THE BOARD, LAST YEAR, THE BOARD DEVELOPED, WE, WE LOOKED AT OUR, AS WE MOVED INTO OUR REPLICATION PHASE, WE, UM, WANTED TO GET SOME GUIDANCE ON THE NEXT FEW YEARS. AND SO THE BOARD CAME UP WITH FIVE BIG PROMISES. AND THESE BIG PROMISES GUIDE OUR WORK, INCLUDING THE, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS BUDGET. THE FIRST BIG PROMISE IS TO DEVELOP A BEST IN CLASS GLOBAL EDUCATION FOR YOUNG CHILDREN TO BECOME RESPONSIBLE STEWARDS OF THEIR OWN ENVIRONMENT. AND OF COURSE, THIS IN LARGE PART, UM, IS WHAT WE'VE, WE AIM TO DO WITH OUR EDUCATION CENTERS. BIG PROMISE, TOO IS THAT TO DEVELOP PRE-K FOUR S A AS THE NATIONAL LEADER IN EARLY LEARNING RESOURCES, RESEARCH AND TRAINING, AND WE ARE WELL UNDERWAY IN DOING THIS, WE ARE CLEARLY SEEN AS A NATIONAL LEADER AND SAN ANTONIO IS ON THE MAP, AND QUITE FRANKLY, IS THE ENVY OF EVERY COMMUNITY IN THE NATION WHO ARE, WHO WOULD LOVE TO REPLICATE AND HAVE A PROGRAM VERY MUCH LIKE THIS. AND THEY OFTEN, UM, CONSULT WITH US AND, AND COME AND VISIT OUR CENTERS TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW TO DO IT. BIG PROMISE NUMBER THREE IS CONTRIBUTE TO SAN ANTONIO'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BY LAYING A STRONG FOUNDATION OF LITERACY, NUMERACY, AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO BUILD A SUSTAINABLE, EDUCATED WORKFORCE. WE REALLY ARE ABOUT EDU UH, WORKFORCE FOR TOMORROW, AND WE'RE BEGINNING THAT TODAY AND WORKING NOT JUST WITH OUR FOUR YEAR OLDS, BUT ALSO WITH THEIR FAMILIES TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE, UM, IN SOME OF THOSE POSITIONS THAT, UM, HAVE HIGHER SKILL LEVELS. AND THAT WILL HELP US BE A VIBRANT COMMUNITY INTO THE FUTURE. BIG PROMISE NUMBER FIVE IS TO CATALYZE THE COMMUNITY AROUND THE POWER AND PROMISE OF EARLY LEARNING, UM, AND TO ELEVATE FAMILY PROSPERITY. AND THE FIFTH BIG PROMISE IS TO FULFILL THE FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY SET FORTH IN THE ELECTION AND MAXIMIZE ITS IMPACT ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF EARLY LEARNING CITYWIDE. SO THESE FIVE BIG PROMISES WE, UM, CARRY OUT THROUGH THE FOUR CO COMPONENTS OF OUR PROGRAM THAT CITY MANAGER WALSH MENTIONED. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT EACH ONE OF THOSE. SO OUR EDUCATION CENTERS, UM, SERVE 2000 CHILDREN EACH YEAR. UM, THEY MEET THE HIGHEST QUALITY STANDARDS. WE OFFER A FULL DAY PROGRAM WITH EXTENDED HOURS FOR WORKING FAMILIES. WE PROVIDE TWO HEALTHY MEALS AND SNACKS FOR CHILDREN EACH DAY. WE OFFER TRANSPORTATION IN BUSES, ESPECIALLY CUSTOMIZED TO ENSURE SAFE TRANSPORT OF YOUNG CHILDREN. WE HAVE CERTIFIED TEACHERS AND ASSISTANT TEACHERS IN EVERY CLASSROOM. WE USE AN EVIDENCE-BASED CURRICULUM, AND OUR TEACHERS RECEIVE EXTENSIVE TRAINING SO THAT THEY HAVE A VERY HIGH SKILL LEVEL. MOST OF YOU HAVE VISITED THE CENTER, SO YOU HAVE SEEN THAT THEY REALLY ARE, UM, PRETTY AMAZING PLACES. UM, THEY'RE MEANT TO BE REMARKABLE BECAUSE THEY'RE DEMONSTRATION SITES. THEY DEMONSTRATE WHAT IS POSSIBLE WHEN YOUNG CHILDREN HAVE ACCESS TO A HIGHLY SKILLED TEACHER AND AN EVIDENCE-BASED CURRICULUM. AND THEY HAVE PROVEN THAT WHEN YOUNG CHILDREN HAVE THAT THEY CAN LEARN AT VERY HIGH LEVELS. AND THEY ARE ALSO MEANT TO BE DEMONSTRATION SITES FOR EDUCATORS WHO WANT TO KNOW HOW TO DO THIS. SO THIS YEAR ALONE, THIS SCHOOL YEAR ALONE, WE'VE HAD OVER 900 VISITORS IN OUR EDUCATION CENTERS. AND [00:10:01] THEY HAVE COME FROM, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, CITIES WHO ARE LEARNING TO DO THIS OR WANT TO DO THIS. POLICY MAKERS WHO WANT TO SEE WHAT THE EFFECTS OF HIGH QUALITY EARLY LEARNING IS, AS WELL AS, UM, OTHER EDUCATORS WHO COME INTO OUR CLASSROOMS TO LEARN SIDE BY SIDE WITH OUR TEACHERS SO THAT THEY CAN REPLICATE THAT IN THEIR OWN PROGRAMS. I WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR INNOVATIONS. OUR CENTERS ARE ALSO INCUBATORS OF INNOVATION. ONE OF OUR CHARGES FROM THE BOARD IS TO DEVELOP INNOVATIONS THAT WILL HELP RAISE THE QUALITY OF PROGRAMS ACROSS SAN ANTONIO AND DEVELOP UNIQUE FEATURES THAT REALLY BENEFIT THE YOUNG CHILDREN THAT WE SERVE. THE FIRST ONE IS OUR OUTDOOR LEARNING INITIATIVE. THIS IS THE ONE THAT WE, UM, DEVELOPED, BEGAN DEVELOPING A FEW YEARS AGO, AND OUR PROCESS IS TO DEVELOP THEM WITHIN OUR CENTERS, PILOT THEM THERE, FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THAT, AND THEN SHARE THIS ACROSS WITH OTHER PROGRAMS ACROSS THE CITY. SO OUTDOOR LEARNING IS REALLY ABOUT CREATING A SENSE OF WONDER AND AWE ABOUT THE NATURAL WORLD. WE KNOW THAT YOUNG CHILDREN OFTEN DON'T GET OUTSIDE. IN FACT, YOUNG CHILDREN OF THIS GENERATION GET OUTSIDE ABOUT 50% LESS THAN THEIR PARENTS WHO ALSO GOT OUTSIDE, LESS THAN THEIR PARENTS. AND THIS IS CREATING ALL KINDS OF ISSUES FOR CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT, BOTH PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY, AND EMOTIONALLY. SO WE WANT TO REVERSE THAT TREND BY SHOWING PROGRAMS THAT YOU CAN HAVE CHILDREN CONTINUE TO LEARN OUTDOORS. THEY CAN LEARN MATH, LITERACY, SCIENCE, EVERYTHING THEY COULD LEARN IN AN INSIDE CLASSROOM, THEY CAN LEARN OUTDOORS, BECAUSE THAT'S OFTEN THE REASON THAT PEOPLE WILL SAY THAT THEY DON'T ALLOW TIME FOR CHILDREN IN OUTDOORS IS BECAUSE THEY'RE TOO BUSY TEACHING THEM WITHIN THE CLASSROOM. SO WE ARE ALSO TEACHING THEM, UM, HEALTHY HABITS. WE WANT TO HELP OUR CHILDREN DEVELOP, UM, INTO PHYSICALLY HEALTHY BEINGS BECAUSE SAN ANTONIO HAS A VERY HIGH RATE OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY AND DIABETES. AND PART OF THAT IS DUE TO THE FACT THAT OUR CHILDREN, UM, ARE NOT AS ACTIVE AS THEY COULD BE. AND SO BEING OUTSIDE HELPS WITH THAT. WE ALSO ARE TEACHING THEM TO SUSTAIN OUR NATURAL RESOURCES. SO IF YOU'VE BEEN IN CENTERS, YOU'VE SEEN THAT THEY GARDEN, WE HAVE COMPOST, UM, BINS. THEY ARE USING RECYCLED MATERIALS, UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU CAN REUSE THINGS IN THE WORLD TO HELP MAKE IT A BETTER PLACE. WE ALSO HAVE 21 PROGRAMS THAT ARE NOW, UM, WE ARE SUPPORTING ACROSS THE CITY TO IMPLEMENT OUTDOOR LEARNING. SO YOU'RE GONNA SEE OUTDOOR LEARNING, UM, CROP CROPPING UP IN ALL KINDS OF SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS, WHICH IS REALLY EXCITING. OUR SECOND INITIATIVE IS GARDEN TO TABLE, WHICH IS ATTACHED TO OUR OUTDOOR LEARNING. AND THIS IS REALLY A FOCUS ON HEALTHY EATING, AND IT'S DESIGNED TO CHANGE SAN ANTONIO'S EATING HABITS BY TEACHING FOUR YEAR OLDS, UM, HOW TO EAT BETTER, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT IF FOUR YEAR OLDS ARE EATING WELL, THEIR FAMILIES WILL EAT WELL. AND THIS IS, UM, SOMETHING THAT WE'RE DOING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A GROUP CALLED CHEF AND OUR, UM, FOOD SERVICE PROVIDER, THE FOOD BANK. UM, WE ARE CONNECTING THIS TO, UM, OUR TEACHING WITH PARENTS SO THAT WE'RE HELPING PARENTS TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CAN MAKE SMALL CHANGES IN YOUR DIET THAT HAVE BIG IMPACT ON YOUR CHILDREN'S HEALTH. UH, THIRD INNOVATION IS CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, AND THIS IS TO INSTILL A LOVE AND APPRECIATION FOR SAN ANTONIO AND LEARN THE BENEFITS OF GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. UM, THIS ALSO HELPS OUR CHILDREN LEARN TO VOICE THEIR PERSPECTIVE. SO IN NOVEMBER, OUR CHILDREN HELD AN ELECTION AND THEY ELECTED TO SUPPORT CHILD SAFE AS OUR NONPROFIT FOR THIS YEAR. SO THEY'VE BEEN LEARNING ALL ABOUT CHILD SAFE, AND THEY EVEN HELD A STUFFED ANIMAL DRIVE A FEW WEEKS BACK BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CHILD SAFE WAS NEEDING WAS ADDITIONAL STUFFED ANIMALS FOR THE CHILDREN. AND THEY HAVE THEN THIS, UM, MONTH BEEN, OR THIS SEMESTER BEEN WORKING WITH LOCAL ARTISTS TO CREATE ART PIECES AND THOSE ART PIECES. WE HAD HAD A RECEPTION LAST THURSDAY AT THE SAN ANTONIO CENTRAL LIBRARY. AND, UH, LOTS OF PEOPLE CAME, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE CAME TO VIEW AND THEY'RE NOW AUCTIONING THEM. WE'RE AUCTIONING THOSE ITEMS OFF AS WE SPEAK. SO IF YOU HAVE NOT, UM, HAD A CHANCE TO CHECK THAT OUT, IT'S 32 AUCTIONS.COM FOR THE PRE, UH, PRE-K FIRST SE GRACIE PROGRAM. WE CAN SEND YOU THAT LINK. UM, AND THERE ARE SOME REALLY GREAT PIECES IN THERE. I'VE GOT MY EYE ON A FEW OF THEM AND HAVE ALREADY PUT MY BID IN. I SORT OF HAVE AN ISSUE WITH, UM, I HAVE A PROBLEM SOME PEOPLE SAY WITH CHILDREN'S ART, BUT I, THE GOOD NEWS IS THERE'S LOTS OF SPACE IN PRE-K FOR ESSAY FOR ME TO DISPLAY IT, BUT REALLY A FANTASTIC PROGRAM. AND WE'RE HOPING ALL THE MONEY THAT'S RAISED FROM THAT AUCTION WILL THEN BE DONATED BACK TO CHILD SAFE. SO IT'S A REALLY GREAT WAY FOR OUR CHILDREN TO LEARN THAT THEY CAN BE ACTIVELY ENGAGED CITIZENS, UM, AS YOUNG PEOPLE. CONNECTED TO THAT IS ARTS INFUSION. SAY, UH, PRE-K FOR SA HELPED WOLF, UH, HELPED SAN ANTONIO BECOME A WOLF TRAP AFFILIATE WOLF TRAPP IS A NATIONAL MODEL FOR INFUSING PERFORMANCE ARTS INTO EARLY CHILDHOOD TO HELP WITH BRAIN DEVELOPMENT. SO WE WERE THE THE SITE FOR THAT WHERE, UM, WE DEVELOPED THE WORKING WITH ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE IN OUR CENTERS AND NOW ARE SUPPORTING OTHER PROGRAMS ACROSS THE CITY TO INCORPORATE THAT INTO THEIR PROGRAM SO THAT OUR CHILDREN, AGAIN, ARE BENEFITING FROM THE CREATIVITY THAT THEY LEARN. UM, THROUGH THE ARTS, WE HAVE SOME INNOVATIONS IN PROGRESS THAT ARE REALLY EXCITING. ONE IS WE'RE WORKING ON A SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING COMPONENT BECAUSE THAT'S OFTEN TAUGHT IN ISOLATION. SO WE ARE DESIGNING [00:15:01] A WAY THAT YOU CAN HELP TO DEVELOP TEACHER SKILL AND HAVE SUPPORTS FOR THEM TO HAVE MUCH MORE INCLUSIVE IN ENVIRONMENTS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN TO HELP THEM DEVELOP THEIR SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING SKILLS. WE ALSO ARE WORKING IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE D HOWARD FOUNDATION AND SOME OF OUR LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO DEVELOP AN AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING, UM, INNOVATION THAT WILL FEED INTO EXISTING PROGRAMS AT THE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL BECAUSE WE WANT TO DEVELOP A PIPELINE OF AERONAUTICAL, UM, FOLKS WHO CAN WORK IN THE AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING OR AERONAUTICAL SCIENCE INDUSTRIES IN SAN ANTONIO. AND WE'RE ALSO BEGINNING TO LOOK AT CODING AND ROBOTICS BECAUSE REALLY CODING IS ANOTHER LANGUAGE AND WE WANT OUR YOUNG CHILDREN TO BE, TO BEGIN DEVELOPING THAT, DEVELOPING THAT JUST LIKE THEY DO OTHER LANGUAGES. SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE MORE ON THAT NEXT YEAR. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT PROFESSIONAL LEARNING. WE HAVE 15 PROFESSIONAL LEARNING SPECIALISTS WHO HAVE THIS YEAR ALREADY DELIVERED OVER 12,000 HOURS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO OVER 1200 EDUCATORS. WE'VE ALSO PROVIDED, UM, CREDENTIALING FOR OVER 120 ASSISTANT TEACHERS TO GET THE ENTRY LEVEL CREDENTIAL, WHICH IS CALLED A C D A. OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING IS MINDS ON HANDS-ON. WE DO IT WITH SEMINARS, WITH EDUCATIONAL EXPERTS. WE HAVE JOB EMBEDDED COACHING CREDENTIALING SO FAR, YOU CAN SEE THAT THESE ARE THE NUMBERS OF THE, WHAT WE'VE HAD FROM DISTRICTS. ALL OF OUR PARTNER DISTRICTS ARE PARTICIPATING. UM, WE HAVE SOME AS HIGH AS NORTHEAST NORTHSIDE WITH OVER 2000 HOURS OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING THIS YEAR AND OVER AND HUNDREDS OF EDUCATORS. SO THIS IS A VERY POWERFUL, UM, PART OF OUR PROGRAM IN DELIVERING HIGH QUALITY PROGRAMMING FOR OUR DISTRICTS. FOR OUR CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS, WHICH WE DIDN'T INITIALLY START OUT WITH A FOCUS ON, WE HAVE DEVELOPED A FOCUS ON, AND I WANT YOU TO PAY ATTENTION TO THIS STATISTIC BECAUSE IT'S QUITE ALARMING. IN SAN ANTONIO, WE HAVE 513 LICENSED CHILDCARE FACILITIES. 89% OF THEM HAVE NO ACCREDITATION OR, UM, RATING IN THE QUALITY INDICATOR SYSTEM. MEANING THEY DO NOT NEC WE DON'T, WE CAN'T SAY THEY DON'T MEET IT, BUT THE LIKELIHOOD THAT THEY ARE NOT EVEN MEETING THE LOWEST QUALITY RATING IS VERY CONCERNING BECAUSE THIS IS OBVIOUSLY WHERE THE MAJORITY OF OUR YOUNGEST CHILDREN ARE. WE, UM, THERE ARE LOTS OF FOLKS WHO, UM, PROVIDE RESOURCES TO THOSE CENTERS. BUT WHAT PRE-K FOUR S A NOTICED IS THAT THAT WAS NOT NECESSARILY CO COORDINATED AND WE WEREN'T ABLE TO SEE THAT WE WERE MAKING PROGRESS IN GETTING MORE ACCREDITED CENTERS. IT'S HARD TO ASK FAMILIES TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE QUALITY OF WHERE THEY'RE SENDING THEIR CHILDREN IF THERE ARE NOT QUALITY CENTERS IN THEIR, IN THEIR AREA. SO WE HAVE CONVENED THE GROUP OF PARTNERS TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE CREATE THIS PIPELINE. AND THE SHORT STORY IS THAT THE TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION, UM, FOCUSES ON ACCREDITATION FOR CENTERS AND HELPS TO DEVELOP THAT. THEY PROVIDE MENTORS AND THEN THEY DO THE ACTUAL ASSESSMENT FOR THAT. THE PROBLEM IS THAT MANY OF OUR CENTERS, UM, ARE SO FAR BELOW STANDARDS, THEY CAN'T EVEN APPLY TO BE CONSIDERED FOR MENTORSHIP OR ACCREDITATION BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT ANYWHERE CLOSE. SO PRE-K FOUR SA HAS COMMITTED TO WORKING WITH GROUPS OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS. WE STARTED WITH THE ONES WHO RECEIVE GRANTS FOR US, AND WE'VE ADDED OTHERS. AND OUR COMMITMENT IS TO HELP THEM GET TO THE POINT WHERE THEY CAN APPLY FOR ACCREDITATION SO THAT THE TEXAS, UM, WORKFORCE ALAMO CAN TAKE OVER AND HELP THEM TO GET ACCREDITED SO THAT WE CAN HAVE MORE HIGH QUALITY PLACES FOR OUR YOUNG CHILDREN TO GO. UM, THE OTHER PART OF THAT IS WITH THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE. THIS IS THE ENTRY LEVEL CREDENTIAL. AND SAN ANTONIO HAS HAD, UM, TOO FEW ASSISTANT TEACHERS OR TEACHER AIDES WHO HAVE THIS CREDENTIAL. AGAIN, IT'S A BASIC CREDENTIAL. SO WE HAVE DEVELOPED A PROGRAM FREE OF CHARGE THAT WE OFFER TO ASSISTANT TEACHERS IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND TEACHERS IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS TO GAIN THIS CREDENTIAL. WE HAVE, I'M PROUD TO SAY, A HUNDRED PERCENT PASS RATE FOR THE 120 FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN ENROLLED IN THAT. UM, BUT THE MOST EXCITING PART OF THIS IS THIS YEAR WE WERE WORKING WITH SOME FAMILIES AT STAFFORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WHICH IS A HEAD START PROGRAM, AND THEY HAVE PARENTS WHO WORK IN THAT PROGRAM. AND THE PARENTS WERE INTERESTED IN THE C D A PROGRAM BECAUSE THEY, THEY KNEW THEY WOULD LEARN A LOT ABOUT THEIR OWN CHILDREN AND THEIR CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT. SO WE ENROLLED THEM IN THE PROGRAM. 16 PARENTS PARTICIPATED AND THEY ARE ALREADY ON THEIR WAY. FOUR OF THEM HAVE ALREADY BEEN OFFERED JOBS. UM, AND THEY ARE ON THEIR WAY TO NOT ONLY LEARNING MORE ABOUT THEIR OWN CHILDREN, BUT GAINING JOBS SKILLS THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE. SO THAT'S BEEN A REALLY EXCITING, UM, HAPPY ACCIDENT SORT OF THAT HAPPENED, BUT WE'RE HAPPY TO CONTINUE THAT INTO THE FUTURE. SPEAKING OF FAMILIES, OUR FAMILY ENG ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM TO DATE, WE HAVE OVER, UM, ALMOST 4,500 FAMILY ENGAGEMENTS THIS SCHOOL YEAR. WHAT THAT MEANS IS A FAMILY WHO HAS EITHER VOLUNTEERED OR COME TO AN EVENT TO PARTICIPATE. [00:20:01] UH, WE HAVE HELD OVER 1900 CONFERENCES AND HOME VISITS WITH OUR FAMILIES. UH, WE'VE HAD 500 FAMILIES WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN, UM, OUR PUENTES PRO IN OUR, UH, PARENTS' PARTNER PROGRAM, WHICH IS ROUGHLY LIKE A P T A PROGRAM, BUT IT'S PARENT DRIVEN. AND WE HAVE 48 PARTICIPANTS IN A BRAND NEW PROGRAM CALLED PUENTES, WHICH I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT. UM, OUR PARENTS' PARTNER PROGRAM IS REALLY A STRENGTHS BASED, UM, PROGRAM, UM, THAT IS DRAWN, UM, DRIVEN BY THE PARENTS' NEEDS AND IN INTEREST. SO WE CUSTOMIZE IT BASED ON WHAT THE PARENTS NEED. UH, IT'S ALL ABOUT PARENTS LEARNING TOGETHER WITH SUPPORT FROM EDUCATORS AND THAT WE PROVIDE THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED. THIS YEAR, OUR PARENTS' PARTNER GROUPS ESTABLISHED FOUR STANDING COMMITTEE COMMITTEES, THE AMBASSADORS WHO ARE PEOPLE THAT GO OUT AND TALK TO THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF HIGH QUALITY EARLY LEARNING. AND OUR PROGRAM, WE HAVE HOMESCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS. THEY'RE HELPING US TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN BE BETTER PARTNERS, UM, TO FAMILIES. THEY'RE HELPING US WITH OUR, OUR OUTDOOR LEARNING AND GARDENING, UM, INITIATIVE. AND THEN WE'VE LAUNCHED FAMILY FIT. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF FAMILIES WHO WERE INTERESTED IN IMPROVING THEIR PHYSICAL HEALTH. AND ONE OF THE MOTHERS WHO ACTUALLY IS AN ALUMNI, SHE COMES BACK EVERY WEEK AND CONDUCTS, UH, ZUMBA CLASSES AND OTHER KINDS OF EXERCISE CLASSES AT EACH OF OUR CENTERS FOR THE FAMILIES. WE HAVE OTHER FAMILIES THAT HAVE STARTED WALKING PROGRAMS, THEY DROP THEIR CHILDREN OFF IN THE MORNING AND THEN THEY TAKE A WALK AROUND THE BUILDING AND THEY'RE GETTING IN MILES THAT WAY. AND SO OUR FAMILIES ARE REALLY DEMONSTRATING, UM, THAT MODELING, THAT BEING ACTIVE AND FIT NOT JUST FOR THEIR CHILDREN, BUT FOR US AT PRE-K FOUR SA AS WELL. FINALLY, IN OUR FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, WE LAUNCHED PUENTES AL FUO, WHICH IS A CURRICULUM FOR PARENTS IN SPANISH DOMINANT FAMILIES. AND IT WAS DEVELOPED BY THE MEXICAN AMERICANS THINKING TOGETHER FOUNDATION. AND IT, IT IS DESIGNED TO HELP PARENTS UNDERSTAND THE EDUCATION SYSTEM AND NAVIGATE THAT BETTER AS WELL AS UNDERSTAND HOW THEY CAN SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN AT HOME. SO MATT DEVELOPED IT AND THEY DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A, A MECHANISM FOR DISSEMINATING THAT. SO WE AGREED THAT WE WOULD DO THAT. WE'D FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THAT. AND SO THEY PROVIDED US A SMALL GRANT TO SPEND THE TIME TO FIGURE THAT OUT. WE HAVE, AND WE'RE NOW LAUNCHED OUR FIRST INITIATIVE. WE HAVE 48 FAMILIES WHO ARE PARTICIPATING IN THAT, WHICH IS EXCITING. OUR GOAL IS, AGAIN, TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THIS SO WE CAN SHARE THIS WITH OTHER SCHOOLS. FINALLY, COMPETITIVE GRANTS. WE AWARD $4.2 MILLION IN COMPETITIVE GRANTS EVERY YEAR. UM, THAT BENEFITS IN OUR CURRENT GRANT CYCLE IS BENEFITING OVER 6,500 STUDENTS OUTSIDE OF OUR PRE-K FOR SA CENTERS. WE HAVE CREATED 700 FULL DAY SEATS OUTSIDE OF OUR CENTERS THROUGH OUR GRANT PROGRAM, AND OVER 2000 EXTENDED DAY SEATS BY PROVIDING THAT SUPPORT PRIMARILY TO OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. YOU'LL SEE HERE'S THE AWARDS FOR THIS CURRENT YEAR TO OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS AS WELL AS WE PROVIDE, UM, MONEY FOR THE ARCHDIOCESE TO ST. MARY MAGDALENE, MAGDALENE, AND THEN TWO OTHER, UM, CHARTER SCHOOLS THAT, AND THIS GRANT IS BASED ON IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF THEIR PROGRAMS AND WE PROVIDE SUPPORT IN THEM, UM, WITH THEM TO DO THAT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LEARNED FROM OUR ONE GRANT PROGRAM WAS THAT NOT EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT MATTERS MOST IN EARLY CHILDHOOD. QUITE FRANKLY, MOST LEADERS IN EDUCATION DON'T COME OUT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD AND THEY MAY NOT KNOW WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPACTFUL PRACTICES. SO WE DEVELOP THE HIGH QUALITY IMPACT PYRAMID TO HELP OUR GRANT RECIPIENTS UNDERSTAND WHAT WE WOULD FUND AND HOW TO MAXIMIZE THOSE DOLLARS. AND HAPPY TO SAY THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT. 42% OF OUR GRANT DOLLARS ARE GOING TO TIER ONE, WHICH ARE THE BASIC FOUNDATIONAL, UM, ASPECTS THAT YOU NEED IN A PROGRAM TO BASICALLY JUST BE SAFE AND TO BE A MINIMALLY QUALIFIED, UM, CENTER. TIER TWO IS WHERE WE GET AN INSTRUCTIONAL QUALITY AND, UM, ENVIRONMENTS, MAKING SURE OUR CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENTS, THE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE HIGH QUALITY MATERIALS. TIER THREE FAMILY ENGAGEMENT WHERE WE'RE SPENDING 16% OF THE GRANT FUNDS. AND TIER FOUR IS INNOVATIONS. A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THAT HIGH QUALITY IS ABOUT BELLS AND WHISTLES AND INNOVATIONS AND IT'S REALLY NOT. IT'S ABOUT YOU HAVE TO GET THOSE FUNDAMENTALS CORRECT FIRST BEFORE YOU CAN MOVE ON TO INNOVATION. SO WE HAVE MANY PROGRAMS THAT ARE GREAT AND THEY ARE WORKING ON SOME INNOVATIONS, BUT THAT IS THE, UM, SMALLEST FUNDING CATEGORY BECAUSE WE HAVE SUCH GREAT NEEDS IN TERMS OF IMPROVING, UM, BASIC QUALITY STANDARDS. SO I JUST, THIS IS ACTUALLY RELATIVELY SMALL TO SEE, BUT WHAT IT SHOWS IS THAT THERE ARE 10 NEAR STANDARDS. UM, THOSE ARE LISTED ON THE LEFT. TEXAS ONLY REQUIRES, UM, PROGRAMS, WHETHER IT'S A CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER OR A SCHOOL DISTRICT TO MEET FOUR OF THOSE CRITERIA. I WILL SAY THAT OUR NEIGHBORING STATES, UM, ARE REQUIRED TO MEET ALL 10. WE ARE, UM, WOEFULLY BEHIND IN THAT REGARD. SO PRE-K FOUR SA GRANTS GO TO FUND THESE INITIATIVES TO HELP OUR PROGRAMS MEET THOSE STANDARDS SO THAT WE CAN HAVE ALL OF OUR, UM, SCHOOL DISTRICT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS MEETING ALL 10 NEAR STANDARDS OF HIGH QUALITY. [00:25:02] SO WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THOSE FOUR COMPONENTS AND I WANNA MENTION BRIEFLY REPLICATION 'CAUSE THAT'S OUR NEXT STAGE. SO, UM, YOU MAY HAVE READ THAT PRE-K FOUR SA RECENTLY LAUNCHED A PARTNERSHIP WITH GARDENDALE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN THE EDGEWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT. AND THAT IS A PROGRAM WE'RE WORKING SIDE BY SIDE WITH EDGEWOOD TO DEVELOP A MODEL PRE-K THROUGH SECOND GRADE PROGRAM. WE WILL LAUNCH THIS FALL, UH, PRE-K KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOMS WITH THEM, WHICH WILL REPLICATE THE PRACTICES THAT WE'VE LEARNED AT PRE-K FOR SA. WE'RE ABLE TO DO THIS BECAUSE WE'RE LEVERAGING A, UM, A PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT WAS PASSED LAST SESSION CALLED SB 1882 THAT INCENTIVIZES DISTRICTS TO WORK WITH OUTSIDE PROVIDERS AND PARTNERS WHO HAVE A TRACK RECORD OF SUCCESS AND THEY GET ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THAT. AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT EDGEWOOD HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS PARTNER AND WE ARE SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROGRAM. AND I WILL TELL YOU, WE'VE BEEN PLANNING FOR THEIR OUTDOOR LEARNING SPACES. THEY ARE GOING TO BE INCREDIBLE. IT'S JUST, IT'S UNREAL HOW GREAT THEY'RE GONNA BE. BETTER THAN ANYTHING WE HAVE AT PRE-K I CAN TELL YOU THAT. UM, IT'S REALLY GONNA BE EXCITING TO SHOW WHAT WE CAN DO IN OUR TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS, UM, AND HOW WE CAN MAKE THIS WORK. ALRIGHT, TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT RESULTS, UM, CITY MANAGER WALSH MENTIONED THAT WE HAD A STUDY DONE BY U T S A RECENTLY THAT WAS RELEASED. AND A COUPLE OF THE IMPORTANT FINDINGS THAT CAME OUT OF THAT WAS THAT CHILDREN WHO ATTENDED BOTH PRE-K FOR SA AND A PUBLIC PRE-K HAD BETTER ATTENDANCE SIGNIFICANTLY SO THAT IT RESULTS IN, UM, ESTIMATED $23 MILLION FOR OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN TERMS OF FUNDING BECAUSE SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE FUNDED BASED ON STUDENT ATTENDANCE. SO THAT'S A HUGE, UM, FINDING. IT ALSO FOUND THAT PRE-K FOUR SA DROVE A HUGE SURGE IN AWARENESS ABOUT PRE-K AND, UM, THE NEED FOR FAMILIES OR, OR THE, UM, DESIRES FOR FAMILIES TO HAVE FULL DAY PRE-K. AND WE'RE SEEING THAT IN WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS YEAR. SO IN 2013, THIS IS A MAP OF HOW MANY, WHAT AREAS OF SAN ANTONIO OFFERED FULL DAY PRE-K AT THE TIME. HERE'S A MAP OF WHAT'S HAPPENING FOR, OH, THERE'S A MAP. THERE IT IS FOR THE COMING. NOPE. GOT IT. THANKS. THERE'S A MAP FOR WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE COMING YEAR. OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS COMMITTED TO HAVING FULL DAY PRE-K EVEN WITHOUT HAVING THE STATE FUNDING. THAT IS HUGE. SO WE HOPE THE STATE FUNDING COMES IN, WE'RE ALL ROOTING FOR THAT. UM, BUT OUR DISTRICTS HAVE SAID IT'S SO IMPORTANT AND OUR FAMILIES UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT IT'S OUR DISTRICTS ARE MAKING IT HAPPEN WITH OR WITHOUT THAT STATE FUNDING. AND PRE-K FOR IS PRE-K FOR S A IS HAPPY TO SUPPORT THAT. UM, WORKING WITH DISTRICTS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT FOR OUR FOUR, FOUR YEAR OLD. SO AGAIN, SAN ANTONIO IS THE ENVY. NO ONE CAN BELIEVE THAT OUR DISTRICTS VOTED SO MANY SCHOOL BOARDS VOTED TO GO TO FULL DAY, EVEN WITHOUT HAVING ANY ASSURANCE OF FUNDING. AS, AS A MATTER OF FACT, MANY OF THEM VOTED BEFORE WE HAVE OUR THOUGHT FULL DAY FUNDING WAS EVEN A POSSIBILITY IN THE LEGISLATURE. SO, UM, KUDOS TO OUR SCHOOL BOARD AND OUR SUPERINTENDENTS FOR REALLY DOING THAT HARD WORK. UM, JUST A COUPLE OTHER POINTS THAT OUT OF THAT INITIAL IMPACT STUDY, UM, AGAIN, WE TALKED ABOUT BETTER ATTENDANCE. PRE-K FOR A STUDENTS HAD SEVEN WEEKS BETTER ATTENDANCE THAN THEIR PEERS WHO DID NOT ATTEND A PRE-K PROGRAM THAT'S COUNTING PRE-K THROUGH, UM, OR KINDERGARTEN THROUGH THIRD GRADE. UM, OUR MATH SCORES WERE BETTER THAN EXPECTED BY 16.9 PERCENTAGE POINTS. AND OUR READING SCORES, PARTICULARLY FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE CATEGORIZED AS EDUCATIONALLY DISADVANTAGED, UM, WE'RE 12.3% BETTER ON THE THIRD GRADE STAR THAN ANTICIPATED. SO GOOD NEWS, UM, THAT WAS THE FIRST YEAR OF THE PROGRAM AND YOU OFTEN DON'T SEE THOSE KINDS OF RESULTS IN THE FIRST YEAR. SO, UM, SPEAKS WELL OF, I WASN'T THERE IN THE FIRST YEAR, SO I CAN'T TAKE ANY CREDIT FOR THAT AT ALL. BUT, UM, SPEAKS WELL OF, UH, HOW WELL THE PROGRAM WAS IMPLEMENTED FROM THE START. ALL RIGHT, I'M GONNA, WHOOPS, I'M GONNA SWITCH TO BUDGET. ALL RIGHT. BUT, UM, AND I WANNA TALK FIRST OFF THE BAT ABOUT COST PER STUDENT. 'CAUSE THIS IS OFTEN WHAT PEOPLE WILL SAY. UM, YES, OF COURSE YOU SHOULD BE FABULOUS BECAUSE YOU SPEND SO MUCH MONEY. SO WE'VE BEEN WATCHING THAT AND IT IS TRUE. QUALITY COSTS MONEY. YOU CAN'T DO QUALITY ON THE CHEAP. WE'VE, UM, SEEN THAT IN SCHOOLS FOR DECADES. SO I WANNA SHARE THIS INFORMATION. SO DISTRICT AVERAGE SPENDING ON FULL DAY PRE-K IS ABOUT $8,500 PER STUDENT AT PRE-K. FOR S A OURS AVERAGE IS ABOUT 11,500. UM, SOME OF THE DISTRICTS THAT HAVE GONE TO HIGH QUALITY PROGRAMS, UM, AND IMPLEMENTING AND AND HAVE BEEN RATED WITH HAVING THOSE QUALITY STANDARDS, THEY'RE SPENDING AS MUCH AS 13,000. IT COSTS MONEY. SO THAT, I MEAN, WHEN, WHEN FOLKS TALK ABOUT WHETHER WE SHOULD OR SHOULDN'T SPEND THE MONEY, IF WE WANNA DO QUALITY AND WANNA WANNA DO IT RIGHT, IT DOES COST MONEY TO DO THAT. BUT I THINK WHAT WE'RE FINDING OUT IN SAN ANTONIO IS WHAT IS THAT RIGHT NUMBER? HOW MUCH, AND THE MORE OF US THAT ARE DOING THIS, THE LESS IT WILL COST PER STUDENT. AND SO, UM, I THINK SAN ANTONIO IN, IN FACT T E A IS REALLY LOOKING [00:30:01] TO SAN ANTONIO TO HELP US FIGURE OUT WHAT DOES HIGH QUALITY COST, UM, IN OUR TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS. IT'S PART OF WHAT WE'RE, THAT ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WE'RE TRYING TO ANSWER IN, UM, OUR EDGEWOOD PARTNERSHIP IS FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE ALL THOSE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH RUNNING HIGH QUALITY PROGRAMS SO THAT WE CAN GIVE THAT INFORMATION TO OUR POLICY MAKERS AND TO OUR CITIZENS SO THEY KNOW WHAT IT COSTS TO HAVE A QUA HIGH QUALITY PROGRAM SO THEY CAN CHOOSE TO FUND THAT. ALRIGHT, SO BUDGET ASSUMPTIONS. WE, UM, OUR APPROACH TO BUDGETING IS TO ESSENTIALLY START FROM A ZERO SUM EVERY YEAR, UM, AND GO BACK TO WHAT WE ARE REQUIRED TO DO AND THEN FUND, UM, WHERE WE CAN FROM THAT. SO WE START BY SAYING, WE MUST, UM, SERVE 2000 STUDENTS IN OUR EDUCATION CENTER AND WE MUST HAVE A PROGRAM AT THE HIGHEST QUALITY. UM, PROVIDING THE TRANSPORTATION, THE FOOD, ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE AGREED, UM, TO WE PROMISE TO THE VOTERS THAT WE WOULD PROVIDE. WE THEN TALK ABOUT FAMILY ENGAGEMENT. 'CAUSE THAT WAS ALSO A PROMISE TO THE VOTERS. UM, WE WANNA HAVE A MODEL PROGRAM. WE WANNA FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THIS WELL SO THAT WE CAN ENGAGE FAMILIES AND HELP THEM TO BE REALLY, UH, STRONG ADVOCATES FOR THEIR CHILDREN, NOT JUST IN PRE-K, BUT BEYOND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING. WE HAVE A COMMITMENT TO HELP TEACHERS PRE-K THROUGH THIRD GRADE IN SAN ANTONIO GET BETTER AT THEIR CRAFT SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO, UM, MAXIMIZE AND AMPLIFY THOSE, THE INVESTMENT THAT SO MANY ARE MAKING IN, UM, PRE-K AND THEN COMPETITIVE GRANTS SO THAT WE CAN, UM, MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE SUPPORTING OTHER PROGRAMS AND DOING IT. BECAUSE AS I SAY, WHILE SERVING 2000 CHILDREN IN OUR EDUCATION CENTERS IS FANTASTIC, UM, THAT WOULDN'T BE ALL THAT IMPRESSIVE IF THAT'S ALL THAT WE DID, BUT THE FACT THAT WE ARE PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR OTHER PROGRAMS TO DO THE SAME IS WHAT MAKES SAN ANTONIO STAND OUT SO MUCH MORE SO THAN, UM, SOME OF THE OTHER MUNICIPAL PROGRAMS. SO GOING INTO OUR ACTUAL BUDGET. UM, AS A REMINDER, THIS WAS ADOPTED BY OUR BOARD, UM, LAST WEEK. AND THIS IS OUR FINANCIAL FORECAST BASED ON THE PAST YEARS THAT WE'VE BEEN IN PLACE AND THE YEARS GOING FORWARD. AND WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS THE BEGINNING BALANCE THAT WE HAD IN TERMS OF OUR, OUR, UM, FUND BALANCE IN OUR FIRST FEW YEARS, THERE WAS A RAMP UP PHASE, SO WE WERE COLLECTING SALES TAX, BUT NOT NECESSARILY SPENDING IT ALL BECAUSE WE KNEW THAT WE DIDN'T NEED IT IN THE BEGINNING AS WE WERE JUST BUILDING OUT. UM, THE MIDDLE BAR IS THE, OR, OR ROW IS ON THE REVENUES, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S PROJECTED FOR, UM, THE COMING YEAR TO BE ABOUT 44.6 MILLION IN REVENUE. AND THEN, UM, WE'RE GONNA SPEND DOWN OUR FUND BALANCE NEXT YEAR WOULD BE THE, UM, FINAL YEAR OF 2021 WOULD BE THE FINAL YEAR OF THE PROGRAM PROGRAM. AND WE ANTICIPATE SPENDING DOWN THE FUND BALANCE TO AL CLOSE TO NOTHING, UM, IN THAT FINAL YEAR. AND THAT'S HOW THE PROGRAM WAS DESIGNED. SO WE ARE HERE FOR A, OUR COUNCIL B SESSION AND WE WILL, UM, GO TO A SESSION, UM, TO GET YOUR FINAL, UM, APPROVAL ON. WE'RE SCHEDULED FOR MAY 2ND. ALL RIGHT. SO THE VAST MAJORITY ARE PROJECTED REVENUES FOR THE COMING YEAR IS FOR 47.6 MILLION, AND THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT COMES FROM THE ONE 8 CENT SALES TAX. UM, WE DO GET, UM, A PORTION OF FUNDING WE RE REQUEST FROM OUR PARTNER SCHOOL DISTRICTS. WE GET, UM, ABOUT 4.3 MILLION. WE ANTICIPATE THAT THIS COMING YEAR THAT COMES FROM THE FACT THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE DULY ENROLLED IN THEIR PARTNER SCHOOL DISTRICTS WHEN THEY'RE ENROLLED AT PRE-K FOR SA EDUCATION CENTER. THAT MEANS THE SCHOOL DISTRICT GETS CREDIT FOR THE ENROLLMENT AND PULLS DOWN THE FUNDING. WE ASK FOR THE MAJORITY OF THAT FUNDING. DISTRICTS GET ABOUT $3,600 PER STUDENT. UM, AND WE ASK FOR $3,200 OF THAT IN EXCHANGE FOR PROVIDING THAT FULL DAY PRE-K. AND THAT AMOUNTS TO ABOUT A $4 MILLION, UM, REVENUE SOURCE FOR US. WE ALSO GET REIMBURSEMENT BECAUSE WE OFFER, UM, THE, ESSENTIALLY HAVE A SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM. AND SO WE GET PART OF OUR FOOD COSTS ARE, UM, COVERED BY THAT. WE ALSO, UM, HAVE OUR FUND BALANCE THERE THAT YOU'LL SEE THAT WE'RE PLANNING TO USE, AND WE GET A SMALL PORTION OF SLIDING SCALE TUITION BECAUSE WE DO RESERVE ABOUT 20 TO 25% OF OUR SLOTS FOR THOSE FAMILIES THAT DON'T QUALIFY FOR STATE PRE-K, THEY MAKE A LITTLE BIT TOO MUCH MONEY, BUT NOT ENOUGH MONEY TO AFFORD PRE-K IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. SO WE HAVE A SLIDING SCALE TUITION PROGRAM FOR THEM. OUR REVENUE ESTIMATES, UM, IS ABOUT A 2% INCREASE FROM WHAT WAS, UM, ESTIMATED FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 19. UM, THE TAX RATE ASSUMES THAT WE'LL HAVE A 3% INCREASE IN THE 3.9% INCREASE IN SALES TAX THIS COMING YEAR. THAT'S, WE GET THAT FROM OUR BUDGET OFFICE. UM, AND WE, THAT OBVIOUSLY IS JUST A PROJECTION. IT'S BEEN REALLY STRONG THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, AND SO WE HOPE THAT THAT WILL, UM, CONTINUE, BUT WE'LL MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AT MIDYEAR IF THAT IS NOT THE CASE. UH, OUR EXPENDITURES MATCH 47.6 MILLION, UM, WHICH IS ABOUT A 1.9% [00:35:02] INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR'S ESTIMATE AND ABOUT A 6% INCREASE FROM WHAT OUR ACTUAL WAS THIS YEAR. WE ALWAYS DO A MID-YEAR ADJUSTMENT. UM, AND SO THIS INCLUDES COST OF LIVING, THOSE KINDS OF ANTICIPATED PERSONNEL COSTS, BUT ALSO IT INCLUDES, UM, ADDING BACK IN 15 POSITIONS THAT WE HAD, UM, THAT WE HAD COVERED THROUGH TEMPORARY POSITIONS OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS. SO THOSE, ADDING IN THE PERSONNEL IS, UM, OFFSET A LOT BY REDUCING COSTS OF SUBSTITUTE AND TEMPORARY WORKERS. UM, I MENTIONED THAT WE'RE TRYING TO KIND OF RIGHT SIZE AND FIGURE OUT WHAT IS THE RIGHT NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WE NEED TO RUN THE PROGRAM. WHEN I CAME IN, I FELT LIKE WE WERE A LITTLE BIT HEAVY, AND SO THROUGH ATTRITION WE REDUCED SOME POSITIONS PART-TIME AND FULL-TIME. AND THEN WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT DOES IT COST AND HOW MANY PEOPLE DO WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO FULLY, UM, RUN THE PROGRAM, INCLUDING EXTENDED DAY AND, UM, SUBSTITUTES WHEN WE HAVE FOLKS OUT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE STAYING IN RATIO. SO THAT IS GONNA GIVE US ABOUT, THAT WILL GIVE US 431 POSITIONS, UM, FOUR OF THOSE, 400 OF THOSE BEING FULL-TIME. AND I'LL SHOW YOU HOW, WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, UH, IN TERMS OF THE PERSONNEL COMPLIMENT OVER TIME. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT IN, UM, THE FIRST FEW YEARS WE WERE RAMPING UP IN F Y 17 WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT WE ACTUALLY WERE AT FULL CAPACITY AND WE HAD 463, UM, POSITIONS AT THAT TIME. UM, WE, AS WE REORGANIZED AND REALLY REFINED WHAT WE WERE DOING AND FIGURING OUT HOW MANY STUDENTS WE HAD AND HOW TO DO THIS, UM, WE REDUCED SOME OF THOSE POSITIONS IN FY UM, 18 AND 19. AND NOW THROUGH THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, I, I CHARGED THE DIRECTORS WITH REALLY LOOKING AT HOW THEY WERE, UM, UTILIZING THEIR PERSONNEL, HOW MANY WE NEEDED, HOW MANY SUBSTITUTES WE WERE USING, HOW MANY TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES SO THAT WE COULD GET THE RIGHT NUMBER. AND WE FEEL CONFIDENT THAT WITH THESE 15 ADDITIONAL POSITIONS, WE'VE, UM, GOT THAT NUMBER AND, AND DON'T ANTICIPATE ANY CHANGES IN THE YEARS GOING FORWARD. ALL RIGHT. THAT'S IT. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH SARAH FOR YOUR, UH, PRESENTATION. UM, A GOOD CHECK-IN, BUT ALSO A REMINDER OF HOW FAR WE'VE COME. I APPRECIATE SLIDE 36 AND REALLY IF THERE WAS A ONE GOAL, OVERARCHING GOAL FOR, UM, OUR EFFORT IN PRE-K FOR SA IT WAS TO SEE IF WE COULD INFLUENCE THE OVERALL ECOSYSTEM OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND, AND CLEARLY, UH, WE'VE DONE THAT. MM-HMM. , UM, HOW MUCH OF THAT CAN BE TOTALLY CREDITED TO PRE-K FOR SA IS UP FOR DEBATE, BUT WE ARE A BETTER SYSTEM TODAY THAN WE WERE WHEN VOTERS APPROVED THE THE INITIATIVE. I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. ONE IS ON THE TRAINING HOURS SLIDE. YES, THERE'S QUITE A DISPARITY, UM, IN THE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS AND HOW MUCH THEY'RE UTILIZING THE TRAINING HOURS AND THE SLOTS AVAILABLE. YEP. CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT A LITTLE BIT AND HOW WE MIGHT, UH, SEE SOME EQUITY BUILT INTO THAT? YEAH. SOME OF THIS IS, YOU KNOW, AND IT LOOKS DIFFERENT FROM YEAR TO YEAR, QUITE FRANKLY. UM, SOME OF IT HAS TO DO WITH WHAT INITIATIVES THE DISTRICTS HAVE UNDERWAY WITH EACH OF OUR PARTNER DISTRICTS. WE MEET ANNUALLY WITH THEM TO IDENTIFY WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE AND THEN DEVELOP A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING PLAN ACCORDINGLY. SOME DISTRICTS ACTUALLY HAVE, UM, THEY'VE USED THEIR GRANT FUNDS TO PROVIDE THEIR OWN TRAINING, AND SO THOSE HOURS AREN'T REFLECTED 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT DIRECTLY PROVIDING THOSE. SO THAT'S SOMETIMES WHERE YOU SEE THE DISPARITIES AND SOME HAVE TO DO WITH JUST WHERE THEY ARE IN TERMS OF THE, UM, IMPLEMENTATION BECAUSE SOME OF THEM, ONCE THEY HAVE, HAVE STARTED TO IMPLEMENT A BIG PROGRAM, THEY MAY NOT BE SENDING PEOPLE TO TRAINING IN QUITE AS HIGH NUMBERS AS THEY'RE IMPLEMENTING AND FIGURING IT OUT, AND THEN THEY'LL COME BACK AND GET SOME ADDITIONAL TRAINING HOURS. UM, AND SOME OF IT HAS TO DO WITH THE SIZE OF THE DISTRICT, QUITE FRANKLY, AND JUST THE NUMBER OF, OF EDUCATORS THAT THEY HAVE. UM, THE FINAL FACTOR THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THAT IS THAT, UM, MANY OF OUR SESSIONS ARE, UM, SELF-SELECTED SO TEACHERS CAN SIGN UP TO 'EM. ALL OF OUR SATURDAY AND SUMMER SESSIONS ARE FOR TEACHERS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN DOING THAT. AND SO THAT FLUCTUATES JUST BASED ON, UM, THE TEACHERS IN THE DISTRICT. OKAY. WELL, I I THINK THAT SLIDE BECOMES MORE CRITICAL AS WE SEE THE DISTRICTS KIND OF VENTURING INTO FULL DAY PRE-K, SO ABSOLUTELY. I'M INTERESTED IN TO CHECK IN ON THAT. THE, THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD WAS WITH REGARD TO THE FUND BALANCE MM-HMM. GETTING TOWARDS, UH, FFY 21. COULD YOU, UM, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, HOW THAT FUND BALANCE IS BEING UTILIZED AT 3%? YEAH. UM, SO, OH YEAH. SO WE, UM, CONSIDER THAT IN OUR, UM, BUDGET EVERY YEAR. AND SO THAT'S PART, IT WAS DESIGNED TO BE PART OF WHAT WE WERE USING IT FOR. UM, IT'S, WE, WE TRY TO USE AS LITTLE OF IT AS POSSIBLE, BUT OF COURSE WE'VE GOT THE EIGHT YEAR FORECAST AND, AND THEN WE NEED TO SPEND DOWN. AND SO IT, THE MAJORITY OF IT GOES INTO GRANTS IS WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING IS THAT ANY ADDITIONAL MONIES WE HAVE, WE CAN PUT INTO GRANTS TO HELP OTHER PROGRAMS, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. I, YEAH. THAT, THAT, [00:40:01] THAT ANSWERS MY QUESTION. I GUESS THE, THE, THE OVERALL CONCERN I HAVE IS IN LOOKING AT THE, THE SPEND DOWN ON F Y 20 AND 21, IF VOTERS RE-APPROVE YEP. UH, PRE-K IN 20, UH, IN 20, THAT MOVES IT BEYOND 21. YEP. UM, ARE WE STRUCTURALLY BALANCED? ARE WE GONNA BE ABLE TO, TO COMPLETE THE PROGRAM YEAR AND YEAR OUT AT THE SAME PACE AND THE SAME SCALE THAT WE WE ARE TODAY? YEAH. SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT STRANGE POSITION TO BE IN 'CAUSE WE'RE BOTH PLANNING FOR THE POSSIBILITY THAT WE WON'T EXIST AFTER 2021 AND OUR VERY REAL HOPE AND POSSIBILITY THAT WE WILL. AND SO WE'VE GOT BOTH OF THOSE THINGS GOING. UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS TO NOTE IS THAT IN THE 2021, WE ONLY HAVE PROJECTIONS FOR NINE MONTHS OF REVENUE TAX, REVENUE SALES, TAX REVENUE, BECAUSE IF WE'RE NOT FUNDED, THE SALES TAX WILL END IN MARCH. AT THE END OF MARCH, IF WE ARE REAUTHORIZED, IT WILL CONTINUE IN AND WE'LL HAVE ADDITIONAL MONIES. SO WE KNOW THAT THROUGH THE END OF 2021, WE'VE GOT THAT. AND THE QUESTION THEN BECOMES WHAT HAPPENS GOING FORWARD IN TERMS OF WHERE DOES THE PROGRAM, UM, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE A BUDGET OR, UM, A BOARD WORK SESSION IN JUNE TO TALK ABOUT THAT. WHAT IS THE DIRECTION, HOW ARE WE DOING THAT? BUT IN TERMS OF FISCALLY, YES. UM, THAT WAS PART OF THE EXERCISE OF THE LAST TWO YEARS OF FIGURING OUT THE COST SO THAT WE CAN SAY YES WITHOUT A FUND BALANCE, WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THE, THE BENEFITS OF EACH ASPECT ARE. OKAY. GREAT. WELL, I MEAN, I, I'M, I'M OF THE MIND THAT, UM, ESPECIALLY IN THIS SPACE, IN EDUCATION IN GENERAL, UM, WE, WE CAN'T EVER REACH TO THE POINT WHERE WE SAY MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. YEAH. RIGHT. SO MY HOPE IS THAT, UH, PRE-K FOUR SA, UH, CONTINUES TO LIVE, UM, UH, EVEN IF IT EVOLVES WITH THE STATE'S, UH, WORK. YEAH. UM, MY LAST QUESTION IS REALLY, I GUESS MAY MAYBE FOR ERIC, UM, YOU MENTIONED SARAH, A 3.9% SALES TAX GROWTH MM-HMM. NEXT. DOES THAT MATCH OUR FORECAST? I, I THOUGHT IT WOULD, WE WERE GONNA SEE A KIND OF A DIP, NOT A DECREASE, BUT THE GROWTH WAS SLOWING A LITTLE BIT. I'M LOOKING TO FREDDY BECAUSE FREDDY WORKS AT THAT. SO YEAH. SO YOU, WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS A LITTLE BIT OF PREVIEW. WE'RE GONNA DO THE FINANCIAL FORECAST HERE WITH YOU ON MAY 8TH, BUT SALES TAX IS DOING A SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN BUDGET THIS YEAR. OKAY. AND PART OF WHAT YOU'RE SEEING, THIS IS A PROJECTION FOR A PRE-K FOR ESSAYS BUDGET NEXT YEAR. MM-HMM. . SO WE'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE WELL COORDINATED WITH THE BUDGET OFFICE AND THAT'LL MATCH OUR ASSUMPTIONS AS YOU, AS WE GO THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS. GREAT. OKAY. AND, AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, THAT WE BUDGET VERY CONSERVATIVELY BECAUSE, UM, WE WANNA MAKE SURE, 'CAUSE THAT IT IS JUST A PROJECTION. AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE ALWAYS CHECKING IN TO MAKE SURE, SEE WHERE WE ARE SO THAT WE CAN ADJUST ACCORDINGLY. WELL, UM, KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK SARAH AND, UM, PETER AS WELL AND, AND YOUR BOARD DOING PHENOMENAL WORK AND WE'RE SEEING IT WITH THE RESULTS OF THE, THE KIDS GOING THROUGH THE PROGRAM. THANKS, SARAH. YOU'RE WELCOME. ALRIGHT. UM, COUNCILWOMAN, VIRON. . THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU SARAH, FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, QUICK QUESTION. I GUESS IT'S ON SLIDE NUMBER 28 WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE GRANT RECIPIENTS MM-HMM. . UM, CAN YOU TELL ME THE, THE GRANT RECIPIENTS, HOW ARE THEY AWARDED? IS IT THROUGH THE, UM, IS IT THROUGH THE BOARD OR IS THERE A SELECTION PROCESS? AND WHAT EXACTLY DO THESE, UM, IF I, I, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED A LITTLE BIT, BUT WHAT DO, DOES IT GO TO THE AWARDS? SO, SO IT IS A COMPETITIVE GRANT, SO IT'S A SELECTION PROCESS WHERE, UM, WE HAVE PRE-AWARD, IT RUNS THROUGH OUR REGULAR, UM, KIND OF OUR R F P, OUR PROCUREMENT PROCESS. AND SO IT IS, UM, A FORMAL PROCESS WHERE WE PUT THE R F P OUT, WE HOLD, UM, PRE-PROPOSAL SESSIONS SO THAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND PROGRAMS CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT'S REQUIRED IN THEIR, IN THE, IN THE, UH, PROPOSAL. WE REALLY TRY TO MAKE IT AS USER-FRIENDLY AS POSSIBLE SO THAT EVEN SMALL PROGRAMS CAN APPLY. AND THEN THERE IS A SELECTION, UM, COMMITTEE THAT REVIEWS IT AT MULTIPLE LEVELS. THERE'S ONE THAT STARTS AT WITHIN THE PROGRAM AND THEN IT GOES UP TO AN EXECUTIVE LEVEL. BOTH PETER AND I ARE ON THAT AS WELL AS SOME OTHER, UM, FOLKS TO REVIEW EACH OF THOSE PROPOSALS AND SCORE THEM. AND THEN OF COURSE, UM, ONCE THE HIGHEST SCORING PROPOSALS AND THE, THE GRANT AWARDEES ARE IDENTIFIED, WE WORK WITH THOSE GRANT AWARDEES TO REFINE THEIR PROJECTS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE VERY CLEAR ABOUT WHAT, WHAT THEY'RE GONNA DO AND THAT IT, AND THAT IT REALLY DOES ALIGN WITH OUR HIGH QUALITY IMPACT PYRAMID. UM, THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR FOLKS ARE USING IT TO FUND THINGS LIKE FULL DAY, EXTENDED DAY, THOSE SERVICES FOR FAMILIES AND FOR CURRICULUM AND, AND INSTRUCTION. SO MATERIALS, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR CHILDREN IS THAT WHEN THERE'S THE, THE DESPAIR OR THE DIFFERENCE OF NORTHEAST GETTING 800,000 IN? YEAH. UH, HARLANDALE GETTING 250,000. YEAH. SO THE PART OF THE GRANT, THE [00:45:01] CONSIDERATION IS HOW MANY FOUR YEAR OLDS THEY SERVE. OKAY. SO WE DO TRY TO TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION. OBVIOUSLY NORTHSIDE IS A MUCH LARGER DISTRICT SURE. SERVING A LARGER NUMBER OF OUR FOUR YEAR OLDS. SURE. UM, A LOT OF FOLKS THINK THAT NORTHSIDE MAY NOT, THEY'RE NOT AWARE THAT NORTHSIDE HAS A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF YOUNG CHILDREN THAT QUALIFY FOR PRE-K BASED ON INCOME. SO THEY DO HAVE A, A SIZEABLE POPULATION OF LOW INCOME CHILDREN. AND SO, UM, THAT'S REALLY WHERE THE MONEY GOES IS TO HELPING THOSE CHILDREN. AND SO IN THE R F P PROCESS, WHEN YOU GO THROUGH THE COMPETITIVE GRANT PROCESS, DO YOU ALSO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT OR ARE THERE, IS THERE A POINT SYSTEM TAKE IN CONSIDERATION IF IT'S A PUBLIC SCHOOL OR IF IT'S A CHARTER SCHOOL OR A PRIVATE SCHOOL? YEAH, SO YES. SO THERE, THE, OUR, OUR PRI OUR, UM, SCHOOL PARTNERS GET BONUS POINTS FOR BEING PARTNER DISTRICTS. UM, CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE IN A, A DIFFERENT CATEGORY AND THOSE ARE RATED JUST LIKE CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS ARE NOT RATED IN THE SAME WAY CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE IN WITH OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS. SO THEY'RE ACTUALLY AT IN SOME WAYS A DISADVANTAGE BECAUSE MOST OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE, UM, GRANT WRITING EXPERIENCE, THEY HAVE FOLKS FOCUSED ON THAT. MOST OF OUR CHARTER FOLKS DON'T. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE EVER AWARDED TO CHARTER SCHOOLS. AND SO, UM, WE FELT LIKE IT WAS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE ARE AGNOSTIC IN OUR APPROACH AND SO, UM, ANYONE IS WELCOME TO APPLY AND THIS REALLY WAS ON A POINT SYSTEM. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION. UM, I ALSO HAD A QUESTION ABOUT, UM, YOUR STAFFING. UM, JUST I THINK IN GENERAL, THIS ISN'T WORKING VERY WELL FOR ME. UH, JUST IN GENERAL WITH THE NUMBER OF STAFF YOU HAVE. YOU MENTIONED THIS ALREADY. WHAT'S I'M TRYING TO FIND FRONT FONT, I THINK IT'S 46. YES. THERE YOU GO. 431 STAFF. YES. SO THE PART-TIME AND THE FULL-TIME STAFF. UM, SO TELL ME ABOUT THEIR STATUS. THEY'RE NOT OFFICIALLY CITY EMPLOYEES OR THEY ARE, THEY ACTUALLY ARE. ALL OF US ARE CITY EMPLOYEES. YES. SO WHAT IS THEIR, UM, SAY THEY HAVE AN ISSUE WITH, UH, WORK OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WHAT IS THEIR APPEAL PROCESS THAT THEY GO TO? SO THEY HAVE THAT, THEY GO THROUGH, THEY, THEY HAVE THE SAME HR PROCESS THAT ALL OF OUR CITY EMPLOYEES HAVE, BUT WE HAVE INSTITUTED ACTUALLY SOME ADDITIONAL MEASURES THAT ARE MORE FAMILIAR TO, UM, EDUCATION, UM, FIELD, QUITE FRANKLY, WHERE THEY CAN, UM, BOTH WORK THROUGH HR, THROUGH THEIR SUPERVISOR, UM, THROUGH ME TO BE ABLE TO, UM, TO RESOLVE THOSE ISSUES. BUT THEY ARE AT-WILL EMPLOYEES, UM, BECAUSE WE ARE FUNDED THROUGH A SEPARATE, UM, UH, NON-GUARANTEED ESSENTIALLY FUNDING SOURCE. EVERYONE AT PRE-K FOR SS A INCLUDING ME IS A, IS AN AT-WILL EMPLOYEE. SO THEY'RE CITY EMPLOYEES, BUT THEY'RE AT WILL EMPLOYEES? CORRECT. OKAY. UM, AND ABOUT THEIR, DO THEY GET, I KNOW YOU'D MENTIONED THEIR COLA, THEIR COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT MM-HMM. , DO THEY HAVE, UH, BONUSES OR PERFORMANCE PAY OR, OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? IT'S THE SAME AS THE CITY. WE USE THE SAME, UM, PERFORMANCE SYSTEM. SO WHATEVER THE CITY COUNCIL PASSES FOR A COLA AND THEN IN TERMS OF THEIR, UM, EMPLOYEE EVALUATION PLAN BASED ON THAT, THAT'S HOW THEY GET THEIR RAISES. SO THEN YOU HAVE MANAGERS OR PEOPLE WITH STEP PAY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? YES, YES. OKAY. SO WE HAVE BOTH, WE HAVE BOTH THOSE THAT ARE, UM, CLASSIFIED AND NON-CLASSIFIED. SO SOME OF OURS ARE STEP EMPLOYEES. I'LL ALSO SAY THAT, UM, PRE-K FIRST A IS COMMITTED. WE PAY AT HIGHER RATES THAN THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN TERMS OF, UM, FOR OUR ASSISTANT TEACHERS WHERE PART OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS DRIVE, UM, EARLY CHILDHOOD, UM, THE FIELD TOWARDS A STATUS WHERE YOU CAN HAVE CONTINUITY IN YOUR, YOUR STAFF BECAUSE THEY'RE PAID ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO STAY IN THOSE POSITIONS. UM, SO I WILL SAY EVEN WE KNEW THAT THE COUNCIL WAS MOVING TOWARD THE $15 AN HOUR AND WE'VE HAD OUR EYE ON THAT AND, AND TRIED TO, UM, KEEP UP WITH THAT AND STAY AHEAD, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE, UM, PAYING OUR EMPLOYEES FOR THE SKILL SETS THAT THEY HAVE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UM, FOR YOUR, UH, PRESENTATION AND, UM, LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT WE'RE, UH, FUTURE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'LL BE HAVING. AND I HOPE I'M NOT BIDDING AGAINST YOU RIGHT NOW 'CAUSE I WAS NOT PAYING ATTENTION 'CAUSE I WAS BIDDING. YOU MAY ON SOME ARTWORK AS WELL. IT'S ALL RIGHT. IT'S ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE. SO THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN GRO. COUNCILMAN PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. YES, GOOD BRIEF. THANKS. THANK YOU. AND, UM, UM, I DO HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS FOR YOU ABOUT, PARTICULARLY ABOUT THE BUDGET HERE. OKAY. UM, LET'S JUST START WITH, UH, UM, UH, I GOT CONFUSED ON THE BUDGETS HERE. IT GOES, UH, ON THIS PAPER COPY RIGHT HERE. YES. IT GOES F Y 2018, ACTUAL THEN THE BUDGET, AND THEN ESTIMATED TWO 19, AND THEN A PROPOSED 2020. WHAT I, I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T QUITE FOLLOW THAT. [00:50:01] WHY, WHY THE ESTIMATED 2019? BECAUSE WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING IS RIGHT NOW, JUST LIKE NOW WE'RE RIGHT, WE'RE, WE ESTIMATE WHAT OUR BUDGET'S GOING TO BE. UM, BUT BECAUSE WE'RE DOING IT RIGHT NOW, OUR FISCAL YEAR RUNS JULY ONE, UM, TO JUNE 30, WHICH IS DIFFERENT THAN THE CITY BUDGET. UM, THERE ARE THINGS THAT HAPPEN ONCE THE CITY OF BUDGET GETS ADOPTED THAT AFFECTS OUR BUDGET AND THEN WE GO BACK IN AND MAKE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS AT MID-YEAR TO AN ACTUAL COST. SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT, WE'RE IN A SYSTEM WHERE OUR, OUR FISCAL YEAR IS DIFFERENT THAN THE CITY'S FISCAL YEAR. OKAY. UM, AND THEN LOOKING AT THAT, I GUESS WHY DIDN'T THE, UH, ACTUAL OF 2018, THE 8.7 MILLION GET TRANSFERRED UP TO THE BUDGET OF 2019? I CAN'T SEE THAT DOCUMENT, SO I DON'T, AND SO I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA ASK FREDDY TO COME UP HERE AND SURE. SEE, IT'S A FUNCTION OF THE TIMING. SO THE BUDGET IS, AS, AS YOU KNOW, IS, IS ADOPTED BY OUR BOARD IN APRIL OF EACH YEAR. OUR FISCAL YEAR END IS JUNE 30TH. SO THE ACTUALS ARE NOT KNOWN UNTIL AFTER WE, UH, PRESENT THE ADOPTED BUDGET TO COUNCIL. AND THEN AT MIDYEAR, WE READJUST THAT BASED ON OUR AUDITED FINANCIALS FOR 18. OKAY. UM, I, I'M GONNA NEED SOMEBODY TO WALK ME THROUGH THOSE NUMBERS 'CAUSE IT JUST DOESN'T LINE UP TO ME, BUT, OKAY. WE CAN DO THAT OFFLINE. UM, YOUR LINE HERE FOR INTEREST IN MISCELLANEOUS REVENUE, IT, IT'S KIND OF BOUNCED UP AND DOWN AND IT WENT FROM 1 37 TO 51 UP TO THREE 10, AND THEN IT'S PROPOSED F Y 2020 FOR BACK DOWN TO 51 AGAIN. WHAT, WHAT IS THAT LINE ITEM AND WHY IS THAT BOUNCING AROUND SO MUCH? WELL, AND SOMETIMES, SO WE HAVE MISCELLANEOUS REVENUE FROM THINGS LIKE, UM, WOLF TRAP IF THEY GIVE US A GRANT OR IF SOMEBODY, UM, LIKE THIS YEAR WE HAD THE PUES, UM, GROUP GAVE US A GRANT TO IMPLEMENT THAT CHEF DID. SO THERE ARE DIFFERENT, UM, SO THIS YEAR WE HAD ADDITIONAL REVENUES THAT WE DON'T NORMALLY HAVE. THERE'S, THEY'RE NOT PASS THROUGHS, BUT THEY'RE SPECIFICALLY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THOSE PROGRAMS, UM, IN WHATEVER, UM, THE GRANT HAS, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF THAT GRANT. AND SO THIS YEAR WE HAD A COUPLE OF THOSE ADDITIONAL, AND THAT'S HAPPENED OVER THE YEARS WHERE OTHER PROGRAMS HAVE GIVEN US FUNDS TO DELIVER ON SOME KIND OF INITIATIVE THAT THEY WANT OUR HELP WITH. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. UM, COMPETITIVE GRANTS. YES. ON, I THINK THAT WAS SLIDE 30, UH, WHERE YOU SHOWED THAT, UH, YOU HAVE A BUDGET HERE OF, UH, 4.7, UH, THIS IS FOR 2018 HERE. SEE THE FIGURES THAT YOU SHOW? YES. OKAY. I'M, I ADDED UP THOSE NUMBERS AND THEY'RE NOT ADDING UP TO WHAT YOU HAD IN THE 18 YEAH, 18 BUDGET BECAUSE THE 18, WELL, THE 18 YOU MEAN IN THE PREVIOUS LIST OF WHAT WE THE AWARDS? YES. BECAUSE THOSE ARE JUST FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS. WE ALSO GIVE AWARDS TO CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS AND OTHER PROGRAMS. SO, SO IN THAT LIST OF THE, THOSE ARE JUST THE SCHOOLS IN THIS SLIDE IS ACTUALLY ALL OF THE AWARDS. OKAY. WELL, THE REASON I ASK IS, 'CAUSE LAST TIME YOU BRIEFED THE GRANTS THERE, IT SEEMED TO BE A LITTLE LOOSEY GOOSEY ABOUT AWARDING THE GRANTS AND WHAT CAME, WHAT THE, WHAT THE OUTPUT WAS. YEAH. HAVE Y'ALL TIGHTENED THAT UP AS FAR AS, OKAY, WHAT ARE WE REALLY GETTING FOR THAT MONEY? YES. GOING OUT TO THE DISTRICTS AND CHILDCARE CENTERS, WHAT ARE WE GETTING AT THE END OF THE DAY? ARE WE PROVIDING CERTIFICATES OF COMPLETION? DO THEY GET, WHAT ARE THEY GETTING? YEAH, SO A LOT OF IT GOES TO GOING FROM HALF DAY TO FULL DAY SEATS. SO THAT WE'RE, SO THOSE DISTRICTS THAT DON'T CURRENTLY FUND OR HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FUND, WE ARE PROVIDING ADDITIONAL REVENUE SO THEY CAN DO THAT EXTENDED DAY PROGRAMS SO THAT DISTRICTS CAN RUN THE PROGRAM FROM THREE TO SIX FOR FAMILIES WHO ARE WORKING. UM, THEY'RE ALSO, THERE IS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT GOES THAT WITH THAT. SO FOR OUR CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS, FOR EXAMPLE, WE'RE, UM, HELPING THEM TO GET THE HOURS THAT ALLOWS THEIR, UM, EMPLOYEES TO MEET CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS SO THAT THEY CAN BE ELIGIBLE FOR T R S. UM, THERE ARE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS, SO WE HAVE A WHOLE LIST OF THAT, BUT WE'RE ALSO BEGINNING TO LOOK AT WHAT DIFFERENCE IT MAKES IN STUDENT OUTCOMES. SO THIS YEAR WE'VE ASKED FOR DATA OF BEGINNING AND END OF YEAR, UM, READING SCORES AND, UH, KINDERGARTEN ENTRY SCORES SO THAT WE CAN SEE ARE, IS THE MONEY THAT WE'RE PUTTING INTO THE PROGRAMS HAVING AN EFFECT ON THE ULTIMATE GOAL, WHICH IS STUDENT OUTCOMES. BUT THIS IS A FIRST YEAR THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET THOSE DATA. AND SO WE JUST HAVE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. WE DON'T HAVE THE COMPARATIVE DATA YET. OKAY. THAT'S GREAT. WELL, THAT'S WHAT I WAS DRIVING AT LAST TIME. YEAH. YOU KNOW, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE OUTPUT? WHAT DO WE, WHAT DO WE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE $4 MILLION IS A LOT OF MONEY. ABSOLUTELY. WHAT ARE WE GETTING IN RETURN FOR THAT? WHAT'S OUR RETURN ON INVESTMENT? I ABSOLUTELY, I AGREE WITH YOU AND I WILL TELL YOU ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES IT CHALLENGING WITH THE NUMBER OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS WE HAVE IS, AND THE NUMBER OF PROGRAMS, QUITE FRANKLY, [00:55:01] IS THAT EVERYBODY USES DIFFERENT MEASURES. SO THERE'S NOT A STANDARD MEASURE. WE CAN SAY, THIS IS HOW WE'RE ALL LOOKING AT THIRD GRADE READING. THIS IS HOW WE'RE ALL LOOKING AT FIRST GRADE MATH, OR, AND SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS HELP DISTRICTS IDENTIFY SOME OF THOSE METRICS THAT THEY CAN USE OR INSTRUMENTS THAT THEY CAN USE TO MEASURE THESE IMPORTANT, UM, UH, LEARNING BENCHMARKS SO THAT WE CAN, UH, SHARE THAT INFORMATION BECAUSE OUR CHILDREN MOVE FROM DISTRICT TO DISTRICT. AND THE MORE THAT WE CAN HAVE SIMILAR ENROLLMENT PROCESSES, THE MORE THAT WE'RE CAN HAVE SIMILAR ASSESSMENT PROCESSES, THE MORE EFFICIENT WE'LL BE. AND I THINK THE BETTER WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE HOW WE AS A COMMUNITY ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR OUR CHILDREN. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND THEN, UM, YOU'RE, YOU'RE FULL ENROLLMENT ENROLLMENT, RIGHT? YES. YOU'RE AT CAPACITY. YEP. WHAT'S YOUR WAITING LIST? UM, CURRENTLY, RIGHT NOW, USUALLY WE HAVE ABOUT A, IT DEPENDS ON THE CENTER. SO AT THE NORTH CENTER, WE USUALLY HAVE TWO TO ONE BY THE TIME IT'S, IT'S DONE. UM, AT THE SOUTH CENTER, WE HAVE A VERY SMALL WAITING LIST, MOSTLY BECAUSE OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS OFFER FULL DAY PRE-K. UM, BUT WE HAVE ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN ASKING OUR FAMILIES AND, AND IN THIS ENROLLMENT SEASON TO FIND OUT, UM, WITH ALL THE DISTRICTS SETTING FULL DAY, HOW MIGHT THAT AFFECT OUR ENROLLMENT? UM, I WAS KIND OF HOPING IT WOULD SAY, OH, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO ADD THREE YEAR OLDS BECAUSE , THAT WOULD BE A GREAT THING TO DO. BUT, UM, WHAT I'M FINDING OUT IS THAT THE DISTRICTS, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE GOING TO FULL DAY, THEY DON'T HAVE CAPACITY TO ADD FULL DAY AT EVERY CAMPUS. AND SO, UM, OUR FAMILIES WILL STILL, WE ARE, WE STILL ANTICIPATE BEING AT FULL ENROLLMENT EVEN WITH THE FAMILIES THAT WE HAVE. SO, YEAH. I, THE REASON I ASK, I'M, I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED. YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB OUT THERE. THE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE COMING TO YOU. YOU GOT A, YOU GOT A WAITING LIST. UH, I THINK YOU EVEN DO LIKE A, A LOTTERY SYSTEM OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. WELL, WE'VE GONE AWAY FROM THE LOTTERY, BUT YEAH. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. BUT, UM, WE'RE STILL PAYING OVER $800,000 FOR MARKETING. WHAT, WHAT, WHAT IS THAT FOR? YEAH. UM, PART OF IT IS NOT JUST AROUND AWARENESS FOR ENROLLMENT, BUT AROUND AWARENESS FOR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND FOR FAMILIES TO KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY LEARNING. UM, IT ALSO HELPS WITH, UM, GETTING THE WORD OUT THERE AND WITH LETTING PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THE RESULTS ARE AND THOSE SORTS OF PIECES. IT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF IT. IT'S, AS A MATTER OF FACT, IT'S ONE OF THE PIECES THAT, UM, SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE, UM, REALIZES THAT THE DAYS OF WAITING FOR FOLKS TO SHOW UP, UM, AT YOUR DOOR AND ENROLL ARE OVER. THAT'S KIND OF HOW IT USED TO BE. BUT NOW FAMILIES HAVE CHOICES AND SO THEY WE'RE IN A CUSTOMIZATION SOCIETY. PEOPLE EXPECT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE GETTING. AND SO, UM, MARKETING IS GONNA BE, BECOME AN INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT PART FOR ALL SCHOOLS, UM, SO THAT FAMILIES, SO THEY CAN GET ENROLLMENT IN THERE. UH, I, I GOT A, I JUST GOT A CONCERN. YOU GOT A WAITING LIST, BUT STILL WE'RE SPENDING, YOU KNOW, CLOSE TO A MILLION BUCKS ON MARKETING. WELL, WE HAVE A WAITING, WELL, I WILL TELL YOU, THIS IS A GOOD POINT. WE DON'T DO A LOT OF MARKETING UP IN NEAR THE NORTH CENTER. UM, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A WAITING LIST AT THE VERY FIRST DAY WE OPEN, WE WILL HAVE A WAITING LIST. THE SOUTH CENTER'S NOT THE SAME WAY BECAUSE, UM, IT TAKES A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO GET CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN. WE STILL HAVE A NUMBER OF FAMILIES THAT DO NOT NECESSARILY UNDERSTAND THE BENEFITS OF EARLY LEARNING OR UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S AVAILABLE TO THEM OR THE PROCESS FOR GETTING IN THERE. AND SO THAT'S WHERE THE MARKETING BUDGET COMES IN TO BE ABLE TO REACH THEM AND HELP THEM UNDERSTAND, UM, BOTH THE BENEFITS AND THEIR OPTIONS, WHETHER IT'S AT PRE-K FOUR S A, OR OTHER PLACES. IT'S A REALLY KEY, UM, COMPONENT. SO OUR WAITING LIST IS NOT, UM, EQUAL. AND, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT IF WE, IF OUR MARKETING, UM, COMPLETELY WENT AWAY, THAT WE WOULD NECESSARILY HAVE, UM, WE'D HAVE A WAITING LIST SOME PLACES, BUT WE MAY NOT HAVE AS MANY FAMILIES THAT ARE ENGAGED, UM, IN EARLY LEARNING IN GENERAL. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UM, AND THEN DOWN AT BOTTOM OF THIS LIST, IT HAS, UH, TRANSFERS TO DEBT SERVICE. IT'S FAIRLY CONSISTENT OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, BUT IN 2020 IT'S ABOUT 3.3, 3.4 MILLION. 2020, IT DROPS DOWN TO 1.9 MILLION. YES. THAT'S 'CAUSE OUR DEBT SERVICE GETS PAID OFF. SO OUR DEBT SERVICE WILL BE, UM, WILL END IN FEBRUARY OF 2020. THAT'S WHEN WE WILL HAVE OUR BUILDINGS AND ALL OF THE, THE DEBT THAT WE INCURRED TO OPEN THE CENTERS. OKAY. SO WE'LL BE DEBT FREE. WE'LL BE DEBT FREE IN, IN FEBRUARY, 2020. FEBRUARY, 2020. YEAH. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. UM, AND SLIDE 38 COST PER STUDENT. YES. UM, AND I UNDERSTAND THE AVERAGE DISTRICT COST IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, UH, HIGH QUALITY UNDERSTAND THAT. UM, BUT THE ALL IN COST FOR, YOU HAVE 2000 STUDENTS, RIGHT? MM-HMM. , AND YOU HAVE ROUGHLY A $50 MILLION PROGRAM. MM-HMM. , WHEN I DO THAT MATH, IT COMES OUT TO $25,000 A STUDENT . THAT'S, THAT'S 'CAUSE TO REMEMBER, WE HAVE FOUR COMPONENTS. WE DON'T JUST DO THE EDUCATION CENTER. SO WHEN YOU COMPARE COST PER STUDENT, IT'S NOT BASED ON THE, UM, 2000 [01:00:01] STUDENTS. WHAT THE COST PER STUDENT FOR THE, FOR US IS BASED ON THE COST OF RUNNING THE EDUCATION CENTERS. AND IT'S AN APPLES, APPLES COMPARISON OF HOW DISTRICTS CALCULATE COSTS PER STUDENTS. SO, UM, WE HAVE A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING PROGRAM, THE FAMILY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM, THE, UM, THE COMPETITIVE GRANTS PROGRAM THAT ARE NOT PART OF THAT CALCULATION, BUT YOU DO WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DO. THEY'RE LIKE, I DON'T GET IT HOW THAT WORKS. BUT THAT'S, UH, I'D LIKE TO SIT DOWN WITH YOU SOME MORE ABOUT THAT ALSO. SURE. ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE FUNDING THIS AT $50 MILLION FOR 2000 STUDENTS. AND YOU KNOW, AND I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, THERE'S DIFFERENT COMPONENTS, BUT THAT'S ALL GOING INTO THIS PROGRAM, WHICH IS PROGRAM SUPPORTS. WELL, IF, IF WE WERE GONNA GO COST PER STUDENT, THEN WHAT WE WOULD DO IS, IS TAKE ALL THE STUDENTS THAT ARE BEING AFFECTED BY THE GRANTS AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, WHICH ACTUALLY, IF YOU CALCULATE OUT FOR EVERY TEACHER THAT WE TRAIN MM-HMM. , THEY SERVE 20 STUDENTS. THAT'S HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF, OF TEACHERS A OR STUDENTS A YEAR. SO THEN OUR COST WOULD BE ALMOST NOTHING PER STUDENT. RIGHT. SO, I MEAN, THAT'S WHY WE'RE USING A COMPARISON THAT, UM, IS LIKE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SO PEOPLE CAN SEE WHAT DOES IT COST WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, 'CAUSE WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT COST PER STUDENT, THEY'RE THINKING, UM, IN THE CLASSROOM. BUT IN TERMS OF THE PROGRAM, THE PROGRAM IS MUCH BIGGER THAN OUR FOUR CENTERS. THAT'S WHY, UM, THE COST PER STUDENT DOESN'T, UM, IT'S, IT'S A HARD, IT DOESN'T ACCOUNT FOR ALL OF THE MONEY BECAUSE IT'S A MUCH MORE COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM THAN THAT. OKAY. UM, THEN EXPLAIN TO ME, AND THE MAYOR TALKED ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT, THIS CONTINGENCY PROGRAM FOR IF THE VOTE DOESN'T, DOESN'T TURN OUT THAT THEY WANT TO EXTEND THIS PROGRAM, OR THE STATE COMES IN AND FUNDS A FULL PRE-K FOR SA. IS THIS COMMITTEE ALSO LOOKING AT WHAT TO DO WITH THE FACILITIES AND ALL THAT KIND OF THING? YES. THEN THAT THOSE, ALL OF THOSE QUESTIONS WOULD NEED TO BE ANSWERED. OKAY. ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS. YEAH. HAS THAT PROCESS STARTED AT ALL, OR, UM, THAT'S WHAT OUR JUNE BOARD MEETING IS ABOUT, TO THINK ABOUT THAT NOW THREE OF OUR FACILITIES ARE LEASED, AND SO WE WOULD JUST, UM, STEP OUT OF THOSE LEASE. WE DO OWN THE EAST CENTER. THAT'S THE DEBT SERVICE. UM, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WITH ALL OF THE, THE, UM, THE RESOURCES? I DON'T KNOW. THAT'S PART OF THE, THE DISCUSSION. UM, AND, AND I THINK THAT'S, WE, AGAIN, IT'S A, A LITTLE SORT STRANGE THING TO BE PLANNING TO CONTINUE AND PLANNING TO CLOSE. RIGHT. BUT THAT'S JUST WHERE WE ARE. RIGHT. UM, AND, AND TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT. OKAY. GREAT. AND, AND YOU MENTIONED THE ECENTER. THAT'S A GREAT, GREAT FACILITY. THAT'S GREAT FACILITY. AND I LOVE GOING AND READING TO THOSE KIDS. OH, YOU'RE WELCOME. THAT'S A LOT OF FUN. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I APPRECIATE THE INFORMATION. GOOD PRESENTATION. AND I THANK YOU. AND I WANNA SAY ONE THING IS MENTIONING IF, UM, FUNDING FOR FULL DAY, IF EVEN IF WE FUND, EVEN IF THE STATE FUNDS FULL DAY, UM, THE NEED FOR PRE-K FOR SA EXISTS BECAUSE AS YOU'VE SEEN THAT OUR, UM, THE STATE DOES NOT FUND QUALITY. THE, WHAT THE STATE FUNDS IS BASIC ALLOTMENT AND SEATS. AND SO OUR DISTRICTS REALLY RELY ON OUR GRANT DOLLARS ON PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TO DELIVER ON THE QUALITY. UM, WE ALSO AREN'T SERVING, WE'RE SERVING A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF OUR THREE-YEAR-OLDS IN SAN ANTONIO, UM, DISTRICTS IS, ARE INTERESTED IN EXPANDING THE THREE-YEAR-OLDS. BUT UNTIL WE GET ALL 25,000 OF OUR FOUR YEAR OLDS INTO, UM, HIGH QUALITY SEATS, THAT'S WHERE WE'VE GOTTA KEEP MAINTAIN OUR FOCUS. SO, UM, SAN ANTONIO IS AHEAD OF THE GAME, UM, BUT THERE'S STILL LOTS OF WORK TO BE DONE. RIGHT. THANKS. COUNCILMAN PERRY. ERIC, YOU HAD SOMETHING YOU WANTED? I JUST WANTED TO ADD COUNCILMAN JILL, ALONG THE SAME LINES AS YOUR, AS YOUR QUESTIONS. I WENT TO THE LAST BOARD MEETING. THAT WAS MY FIRST BOARD MEETING. AND, UM, THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION FROM THE BOARD'S PERSPECTIVE TO BEGIN HAVING THOSE SAME CONVERSATIONS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. SO THEY'RE GONNA START THAT IN JUNE. UM, I'LL BE ENGAGED WITH THAT. AND I THINK FROM A TIMING PERSPECTIVE, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO BRING BACK TO THE COUNCIL, UM, IN THE EARLY FALL PERIOD OR MID-FALL TO KIND OF PROVIDE SOME FEEDBACK AND GET SOME, GET SOME, UH, UH, DIRECTION FROM THE, FROM THE ENTIRE COUNCIL. SO WE'RE MINDFUL OF THAT. AND, AND I THINK WE NEED TO GET THE, THE BOARD TO DO SOME OF THE HEAVY LIFTING AND DISCUSSING AND PROVIDING ALTERNATIVES AND OPTIONS ON HOW THE, ON WHAT THE LANDSCAPE LOOKS LIKE. SO WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO YOU. GREAT. THANKS SIR. SURE. AND WE PURPOSELY SCHEDULED THAT IN JUNE TO FIND OUT WHAT THE LEGISLATURE DOES. SO UNLESS WE HAVE A SPECIAL SESSION, BUT WE'RE GONNA HAVE IT ANYWAY IF WE HAVE A SPECIAL SESSION. GREAT. ALL RIGHT. COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ. THANK YOU MAYOR COUNCILMAN PERRY ASKED MOST OF MY QUESTIONS, BUT I DO, UM, COULD YOU JUST GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF THE DISTRICT AVERAGE DISTRICT, UM, PROGRAM, AND THEN OF COURSE WE KNOW PRE K S A, BUT WHAT DOES, WHAT IS AN EXAMPLE OF A DISTRICT HIGH QUALITY PROGRAM? WELL, WE HAVE SOME OF OUR DISTRICTS THAT HAVE, UM, INVESTED IN HIGH QUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTERS. UM, CAROL, UM, E C E AND, AND SS A S D IS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT. SO THEY'RE USING AN EVIDENCE-BASED CURRICULUM. THEY HAVE THE COACHING SUPPORT TO SUPPORT THE TEACHERS. THEY HAVE THE FULL DAY, THE EXTENDED DAY, THE WHOLE THAT, ALL OF THOSE ELEMENTS. AND SO CAROL PERFORM NEARLY AS WELL AS PRE-K FOR ESSAY IN THE FIRST YEAR? [01:05:01] YES. UM, SINCE THEY'VE HAD THIS PROGRAM, UM, WE DON'T HAVE THOSE COMPARISONS. THAT'S PART OF WHAT WE'RE, UM, LOOKING TO DO WITH OUR, WITH THE DATA AND THE COMPARISONS OF THAT. YEAH. OKAY. ARE THERE ANY OTHERS? UM, S A S D HAS A COUPLE OF THEM THERE. I MEAN, THERE ARE, UM, I'M TRYING TO THINK OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD THE NAMES OF THEM. UM, N NORTHEAST IS OPENING A HIGH QUALITY CENTER THIS FALL AT WEST AVENUE. UM, THERE PROBABLY ARE, AND THEY'RE JUST NOT COMING TO ME. I HATE TO SAY THERE AREN'T ANY THAT FINE. I'M JUST, UM, UH, JUST TRYING TO GET AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THOSE, THE YEAH. CAROL IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THAT. VERY FAMILIAR WITH A LOT OF THEIR EARLY CHILDCARE CENTERS IN MY DISTRICT. THAT, AND I KNEW THAT CAROL, I COULDN'T REMEMBER THE NAME, BUT I KNEW THAT CAROL WAS, HAD PERFORMED, UH, NEARLY AS WELL MM-HMM. OR MAYBE, UM, ABOUT THE SAME, MAYBE SLIGHTLY LESS BETTER? WELL, OR, YOU KNOW, I KNOW IT'S HARD TO COMPARE. WELL, IT DEPENDS ON THE MEASURE. AND SO, UM, THE MEASURES WE USE ARE REALLY BASED AROUND THE, THE MEASURES THAT MATTER LONG TERM. UM, ONE OF THE CAUTIONS THAT WE HAVE FOR DISTRICTS IS NOT GETTING INTO, UM, MEASURES THAT ARE PRETTY MEANINGLESS, UM, AT ELEMENTARY. THINGS LIKE, UM, DISCREET ACADEMIC SKILLS. THEY ARE TERRIBLE PREDICTORS OF HOW CHILDREN WOULD DO. BUT, BUT MEASURES OF THINGS LIKE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, VOCABULARY, UM, MATHEMATICAL THINKING, LITERACY, THOSE ARE MA THOSE ARE INDICATORS THAT, UM, ARE GOOD PREDICTORS OF HOW CHILDREN WILL DO LONG TERM. THE CHALLENGE IS THAT IN ORDER TO ASSESS THOSE AUTHENTICALLY, UM, IN YOUNG CHILDREN, YOU HAVE TO USE, UM, MEASURES THAT RELY HEAVILY ON HIGHLY TRAINED TEACHERS TO DO ANECDOTAL NOTES AND WATCH CHILDREN. UM, A TERRIBLE WAY TO ASSESS CHILDREN YOUNG CHILDREN'S LEARNING IS TO PUT THEM IN FRONT OF A COMPUTER AND HAVE THEM, UM, FILL IN, UM, CLICK ON ON UM, RESPONSES BECAUSE YOUNG CHILDREN ARE NOTORIOUSLY, UM, TERRIBLE AT DOING THINGS ON DEMAND ON THE DAY OF, THAT'S JUST NOT HOW THEY FUNCTION. AND SO, YEAH. TELL ME ABOUT IT. JUST, YEAH. RIGHT. SO YOU HAVE , SO, UM, WHICH MAKES, YEAH. GETTING THEM TO DO ANYTHING ON DEMAND IS PRETTY MUCH IT. RIGHT? AND SO, WHICH MAKES ASSESSING YOUNG CHILDREN, UM, A CHALLENGE BECAUSE IT'S VERY TIME CONSUMING AND YOU REALLY HAVE TO DO IT OVER TIME. IT'S NOT A ONE DAY, 20 MINUTES SIT IN FRONT OF A COMPUTER, YOU KNOW, OR EVEN ASK YOU A QUESTION AND RESPOND. THAT'S NOT AN ACCURATE MEASURE. AND UNFORTUNATELY, UM, BECAUSE OF COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENTS, UM, PROGRAMS OFTEN RESORT TO THESE LESS EFFECTIVE, LESS MEANINGFUL, UM, UM, ASSESSMENTS, WHICH IS A HUGE CAUTION. OKAY. WELL, UM, I KNOW WE'LL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING THE RESULTS FROM CAROL. YEAH. CONSIDERING THE KIDS REALLY ARE SO POOR AT CARROLL, I THINK THAT'S, YOU KNOW, REALLY THE DEMOGRAPHIC THERE IS, UM, VERY LOW INCOME AND LOTS OF, YOU KNOW, TRAUMA AND LOTS OF DIFFICULT SITUATIONS FOR OUR KIDS THERE. SO I HOPE THAT THIS KIND OF INVESTMENT WILL SHOW PROGRESS FOR OUR KIDS. AND, AND SO A SIMILAR RESULT AT, UM, OR I'M SORRY, SIMILAR DEMOGRAPHIC AT GARDENDALE MM-HMM. , UH, ALTHOUGH MAYBE NOT QUITE AS LOW INCOME IN, UH, WITH THAT AREA OF EDGEWOOD. SO CAN YOU JUST DESCRIBE THAT PROGRAM A LITTLE BIT? SO, UH, I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S, UM, UH, I UNDERSTAND IT TO BE THE SAME KIND OF PROGRAM THAT S E I S D IS USING FOR SOME OF THEIR DISTRICT CHARTERS. MM-HMM. , SO IT'S STILL AN DISTRICT CHARTER, UM, FOCUSING ON, YOU KNOW, THE PRE-K TO GRADE TWO MM-HMM. , UH, AND THEN I WAS, I WAS JUST READING ABOUT THEN THE REST OF THE PROGRESS OF THE KIDS. BUT COULD YOU JUST DESCRIBE THAT PROGRAM A LITTLE BIT AND HOW YOU ANTICIPATE IT BEING A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM? YEAH. SO, UM, SB 18 A TWO REQUIRES THAT IF DISTRICTS ENTER INTO THESE PARTNERSHIPS THAT THE PROVIDER HAVE A LEVEL OF AUTONOMY OVER HIRING, CURRICULUM SELECTION, UM, ASSESSMENT, ALL THOSE ASPECTS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN STUDENT OUTCOMES. SO WE HAVE WORKED, IT'S TAKEN US OVER A YEAR, UM, TO WORK THROUGH THIS PROCESS WITH EDGEWOOD BECAUSE ONE, UM, WHEN PEOPLE, WHEN SOME FOLKS FIRST APPROACHED ME ABOUT WHETHER PRE-K FOR S A MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN 1882 PARTNERSHIP, I SAID, NO, BECAUSE WE, WE, I'M NOT INTERESTED IN RUNNING SOMEBODY ELSE'S PROGRAM. THAT'S NOT WHAT WE DO. WE'RE CAPACITY BUILDING ORGANIZATION THAT HELPS PEOPLE RUN THEIR OWN PROGRAMS WELL. UM, SO, BUT THEN WE BEGAN TO TALK ABOUT COULD WE SOMEHOW LEVERAGE THIS, UM, OPPORTUNITY TO HELP BUILD CAPACITY. AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE HAVE, UM, WE ARE WORKED WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE FOLKS IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO IDENTIFY ONE, THE SCHOOL TWO, WE'RE DOING, UM, COLLABORATIVE HIRING. SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE HIRING THE TEACHERS THAT WILL BE IN THE CLASSROOM. UM, WE WILL BE PROVIDING SUPPORT TO THEM. I'M WORKING SIDE BY SIDE MENTORING THE PRINCIPAL. WE HAVE ONE OF OUR INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALISTS FROM PRE-K FOUR S A WHO WILL BE [01:10:01] ASSIGNED TO THAT CAMPUS TO HELP THE TEACHERS IMPROVE THEIR INSTRUCTION. UM, BUT WE'RE ALSO TEACHING THEM EVERYTHING FROM THE ENROLLMENT PROCESS. HOW DO YOU GET FAMILIES INTO, IT'S, AGAIN, YOU CAN'T JUST OPEN YOUR DOORS AND HAVE A, UM, AND, AND HAVE PEOPLE APPLY AND ASSUME THEY'LL SHOW UP. 'CAUSE THAT'S NOT REALLY HOW IT WORKS. FAMILIES. UM, YOU NEED TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH FAMILIES. SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT. UM, WE WILL, UM, BE MONITORING THE PROGRESS AND HELPING THEM TO IMPLEMENT THE HIGHSCOPE CURRICULUM, WHICH IS WHAT WE USE AT PRE-K FOR SA. AND THEN OF COURSE, IN THE FIRST AND SECOND GRADES, WE'LL BE USING THE PROJECT BASED APPROACH, WHICH IS PART OF WHAT WE TEACH IN OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR THE UPPER GRADE. SO WE'RE GONNA WALK SIDE BY SIDE WITH THEM TO CREATE THIS OUTSTANDING PROGRAM. RIGHT NOW WE'RE HELPING THEM TO DEVELOP THE FACILITIES. WE'RE PUTTING OBSERVATION WINDOWS IN THERE, SO THAT TOO CAN BE A DEMONSTRATION SITE. WE'RE BUILDING OUT THEIR, UM, OUTDOOR LEARNING SPACES, HELPING THEM TO DO ALL HOW, ESSENTIALLY IT'S HOW, IF YOU HAVE THIS ADDITIONAL MONEY, WHERE CAN YOU SPEND IT TO GET THE, UM, KIND OF OUTCOME THAT YOU WANT TO GET. AND SO, UM, WHAT, UH, SO THEN IS THE IDEA THAT YOU STAY FOR A COUPLE YEARS AND THEN YOU LEAVE? YES. I ULTIMATELY, THE IDEA IS WE BUILD THE CAPACITY THERE AND THEN WE STEP OUT AND WE'RE ABLE TO HELP SOMEBODY ELSE. YES. OKAY. YEAH. OKAY. SO, AND, AND THAT'S THREE YEARS OR FIVE YEARS OR, UH, THREE PROBABLY. PEOPLE SAY IT'S GONNA TAKE FIVE. I THINK WE CAN DO IT PROBABLY IN THREE, THREE TO FOUR. UM, BUT, BUT WE'RE GONNA SEE HOW THAT GOES. UM, SO WE'RE HOPING ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING IS TRY TO BUILD ON THE SYSTEMS THAT THEY HAVE. THERE'S NO POINT IN BUILDING A PROGRAM THAT CAN'T BE SUSTAINED BECAUSE THE DISTRICT DOESN'T HAVE THE SYSTEMS TO DO THAT. SO PART OF OUR LEARNING IS HOW DOES EDGEWOOD OPERATE? HOW CAN WE, UM, BUILD ON THOSE SYSTEMS AND IMPROVE THE SYSTEM SO THAT THEY CAN SUSTAIN THEM AFTER WE'RE GONE? OKAY. THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS I HAVE. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN GONZALEZ. THANK YOU SARAH. AND TO YOUR BOARD AND TO YOUR STAFF. GREAT JOB. YES, THANK YOU AS ALWAYS. THANK YOU. UM, THAT'S IT FOR OUR B SESSION AGENDA. DO WE HAVE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TODAY, ERIC? NO, SIR. NOT TODAY. UH, WE'RE, UH, WE'RE GONNA DO THAT TOMORROW. OKAY? YEP. ALL RIGHT. WELL, UH, WE ARE ADJOURNED. NOTE FIVE 30 IS CEREMONIAL. SO, UH, SEE YOU BACK IN A COUPLE HOURS. ALRIGHT. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.