[ ITEMS ]
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>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. WELCOME TO OUR CITY COUNCIL B SESSION. THE TIME IS 2:05 P.M. ON MAY 1ST, 2024.
WE'LL CALL OUR SESSION TO ORDER. MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: ALL RIGHT. WELCOME, EVERYBODY.
WE HAVE TWO ITEMS ON THE AGENDA. ERIK, ARE WE DOING ONE
PRESENTATION OR TWO? >> WALSH: DO THEM TOGETHER?
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: OKAY. ALL YOURS. >> WALSH: THANK YOU, GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. TODAY'S BRIEFING ARE PROGRAM AND BUDGET OVERVIEWS FOR OUR FY 2025 PROPOSED BUDGETS FOR PRE-K FOUR SA AND READY TO WORK, TWO KEY EDUCATION WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. ON PRE-K FOUR SA, WE ARE ENTERING -- WE'RE FINISHING UP 10 YEARS IN THIS AREA, AND PRE-K FOUR SA CONTINUES TO DELIVER STRONG RESULTS AND IS LEADING THE EFFORT HERE LOCALLY FOR AN EQUITABLE, AFFORDABLE, AND MORE IMPORTANT HIGH-QUALITY EARLY LEARNING CARE SYSTEM FOR SAN ANTONIO. DR. BARAY WILL UPDATE YOU ON WHERE WE'RE AT AND WHERE WE'RE ANTICIPATING GOING IN NEXT YEAR'S PROPOSED BUDGET. AND READY TO WORK -- WE'RE TWO YEARS INTO READY TO WORK, BUT IT'S ALSO CONTINUING TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS AND PROVIDING RESIDENTS, ACCESS TO QUALITY JOBS AND MIKE WILL SPEND A GOOD CHUNK OF TODAY'S PRESENTATION TALKING ABOUT THOSE TWO EFFORTS AND HOW THEY DISTINGUISH OURSELVES FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, HOW THEY ARE VERY IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF A BALANCE, IN TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT, AND MAKING LONG-TERM CHANGES HERE LOCALLY. DR. BARAY WILL START OFF, AND THEN WE'LL TRANSITION TO MIC AND THE READY TO WORK BUDGET.
DR. BARAY? >> ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER.
MY NAME IS SARAH BARAY AND I'M THE CEO FOR PRE-K FOUR SA.
I'M JOINED THIS AFTERNOON BY MY COLLEAGUE MIKE RAMSEY OF READY TO WORK.
MIKE AND I ARE GOING TO PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROPOSED FY 2025 BUDGET FOR OUR PROGRAMS. PRE-K FOUR SA AND READY TO WORK ARE THE CITY'S TWO PREMIER WORKFORCE AND EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES.
TOGETHER OUR PROGRAMS ARE HELPING SAN ANTONIO DEVELOP WORLD-CLASSWORK FORCE FOR TODAY AND FOR TOMORROW. SO BEFORE I JUMP INTO THE PRE-K FOUR SA BUDGET, I WANT TO PROVIDE A BRIEF OVERVIEW AND A FEW UPDATES ON THE PROGRAM SINCE THE LAST TIME I CAME BEFORE YOU.
AS THE CITY MANAGER MENTIONED, PRE-K FOUR SA HAS JUST ENDED ITS FIRST DECADE. PRE-K FOUR SA BEGAN IN 2011 WHEN THEN MAYOR JULIAN CASTRO LED BY GENERAL ROBLES OF USAA AND CHARLES BUTT OF H-E-B IN THIS TASK FORCE. IN 2012, THEY PUT THAT BEFORE THE VOTERS, DECIDED ON EARLY CHILDHOOD PRE-K FOUR SA AND WE WERE APPROVED.
2013 TO 2016 WERE OUR BUILDOUT YEARS. THIS IS WHERE WE OPENED OUR FIRST FOUR CENTERS, HAD AN INTENTIONAL RAMP UP PERIOD.
WE SERVED 2,000 CHILDREN IN OUR CORE CENTERS TODAY AND ANOTHER 300 AD R AT GARDENDALE. IN 2016, WE GOT TO 2,000 CHILDREN BEING SERVED AS WELL AS PROVIDING GRANTS AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING.
THE INTENTIONAL RAMP UP PERIOD ALLOWED US TO BUILD A STRONG FOUNDATION AND IN 2016, ALLOWED US TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THE PROGRAM WAS SUCCESSFUL.
WE STARTED COLLECTING DATA FROM THE BEGINNING, BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL 2016 THAT WE HAD A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF DATA TO DEMONSTRATE THAT PRE-K FOUR SA WAS DELIVERING ON ITS PROMISE OF HIGH-QUALITY PREK AND HELPING CHILDREN WHO WERE COMING IN BELOW THE NATIONAL NORM, LEAVE THE PROGRAM WELL ABOVE THE NATIONAL NORM AND CONTINUE ON.
IN 2012, WHEN THE BRAIN POWER TASK FORCE WAS DECIDING ON WHAT ASPECT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD THE CITY SHOULD FOCUS ON, THE ENTIRE SYSTEM NEEDED SUPPORT FROM BIRTH THROUGH A AGE EIGHT, BUT THE BRAIN POWER TASK FORCE DECIDED TO START WITH PREK PREK 4, WE ALREADY HAD STATE FUNDING, THEY WANTED TO LEVERAGE THAT. AT THAT TIME THERE WAS A LACK OF AFFORDABILITY, ONLY SOME CHILDREN WERE ELIGIBLE FOR PREK AND THEN ONLY HALF DAY, THERE WERE NOT ENOUGH SEATS EVEN THO FOR THOSE WHO WERE ELLIMBABLE AND PRIVATE PEEK WAS TOO COSTLY FOR MOST
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SAN ANTONIO FAMILIES. THERE WAS UNEVEN QUALITY ACROSS THE PROGRAMS. I'M HERE TO TELL YOU ONLY HIGH-QUALITY EARLY LEARNING LEADS TO LONG-TERM OUTCOMES AND THERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES IN SAN ANTONIO OF HIGH-QUALITY PREK. IN FACT, MANY OF OUR CITIZENS THOUGHT PREK WAS JUST BABYSITTING, THERE WAS NO EDUCATIONAL PROPONENT TO THAT.WE HAD AN UNDERDEVELOPED WORKFORCE WHO UNDERSTOOD THE NEEDS OF YOUNG CHILDREN, SO THAT'S WHERE WE STARTED IN 2012, AND WE WERE DESIGNED -- PRE-K FOUR SA WAS DESIGNED TO RESPOND TO THESE CONDITIONS. WE HAD OUR FOUR MODEL EDUCATION CENTERS THAT DEMONSTRATES WHAT'S POSSIBLE WHEN YOUNG CHILDREN HAVE ACCESS TO HIGHLY SKILLED TEACHERS AND EVIDENCE-BASED CURRICULUM AND THE RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THEM, FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TO HELP RAISE THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION PROVIDED IN OUR EARLY GRADES. OVER 10,000 HOURS EACH YEAR TO OVER 2,000 EARLY LEARNING TEACHERS. WE DEVELOPED A GOLD STANDARD CDA PROGRAM WHICH IS ENTRY LEVEL CREDENTIAL FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS AT THAT TIME. THAT WAS NOT VERY COMMON IN SAN ANTONIO. AND THEN OVER THE 10 YEARS, WE'VE AWARDED $26 MILLION IN GRANTS TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN PREK THROUGH THIRD GRADE CLASSROOMS TO HELP THEM IMPROVE THEIR PROGRAMS. WE ALSO HAD THE RESEARCH INNOVATION THAT WAS DEMONSTRATING THAT THIS PROGRAM IS WORKING, AND THAT THAT DATA HELPED US TO MAKE THE CASE TO THE STATE THAT ALL CHILDREN SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO FULL-DAY PREK, AND IN 2019, THEY PROVIDED THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDING. SO OUR SUCCESS OVER THAT FIRST DECADE IS WE NOW -- BY 2019, WE REACHED 70% ACCESS ACROSS SAN ANTONIO FOR FOUR-YEAR-OLDS, MEANING THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF FOUR-YEAR-OLDS HAD AN AFFORDABLE HIGH-QUALITY OPTION IN SAN ANTONIO. WE HELPED TO MAKE THE CASE, AS I SAID, AT THE STATE, AND THAT'S WHAT HELPED TO DRIVE THAT UP, BUT WE ALSO RETURNED -- WE DID A RETURN ON INVESTMENT STUDY THAT SHOWED IN OTHER WAYS THE PRE-K FOUR SA PROGRAM BROUGHT BACK OVER $57 MILLION IN REAL BENEFITS TO THE COMMUNITY BEYOND THE COST OF THE PROGRAM. WE ALSO RAISED THE BAR IN QUALITY, WE SET THE STANDARD, SO THAT ALL PROGRAMS KNEW WHAT QUALITY LOOKED LIKE AND WE WERE HELPING TO SUPPORT THEM GET THERE. OUR RESULTS SHOWED THAT CHILDREN WHO HAD ACCESS TO QUALITY PREK HAD BETTER MATH, BETTER READING AND BETTER ATTENDANCE BY THE TIME THEY GOT TO THIRD GRADE, AND THEN WE CREATED A MORE SPECIALIZED WORKFORCE WHERE WE'VE TRAINED OVER 200 PRINCIPLES IN SAN ANTONIO IN EARLY LEARNING TO HELP THEM BE BETTER LEADERS. WE'VE AWARDED OVER 300 CHILD DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE CREDENTIALS CREATING NEW EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS AND WE'VE ESTABLISHED CDA AS THE NORM FOR THE ENTRY-LEVEL IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS AND IN OUR PRE-K FOUR SA PROGRAMS FOR PARAPROFESSIONALS. THAT WAS JUST THE FIRST DECADE, BUT WE'VE GOT MORE TO DO. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2024 TO 2028 -- 2028 IS THE END OF OUR AUTHORIZATION PERIOD, WE'LL GO UP FOR REAUTHORIZATION IN 2028, WE ARE SHIFTING OUR FOCUS A BIT TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE OTHER CHRONIC PROBLEMS THAT WE SEE IN THE EARLY CHILDHOOD SPACE IN SAN ANTONIO. OUR PROMISE TO VOTERS, WHEN WE WENT UP FOR REAUTHORIZATION IN 2020 WAS TO SERVE MORE YOUNG CHILDREN AND ENSURE THAT MORE YOUNG CHILDREN HAD ACCESS TO HIGH-QUAWMENT EARLY LEARNING THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS, EARLY DEVELOPMENT CENTERS AND HOME-BASED PROVIDERS.
BUT WE'VE ALSO DECIDED TO SHIFT OUR FOCUS TO WHAT'S HAPPENING BEFORE THE ABLE OF FOUR. AND SO WE'VE STARTED ACCEPTING THREE-YEAR-OLDS BUT WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO GO BEYOND THAT, BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT THE STATE OF BIRTH THROUGH THREE IN SAN ANTONIO, IT'S MUCH LIKE WHERE PREK WAS IN 2012, WHEN WE STARTED. THERE IS A LACK OF AFFORDABILITY. MANY OF YOU -- WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS, HOW FOR SOME FAMILIES, CHILDCARE CAN BE AS EXPENSIVE AS WHAT THEY'RE PAYING FOR COLLEGE TUITION, THERE'S UNEVEN QUALITY ACROSS THE COMMUNITY. PROGRAMS ARE MOVING TOWARDS THAT, BUT THEY HAVEN'T ALL HAD THE RESOURCES IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH THOSE QUALITY STANDARDS AND MAKE SURE CHILDREN ARE GETTING THE KIND OF LEARNING AND CARE THAT THEY NEED, AND WE HAVE AN UNDERPREPARED AND UNDERPAID WORKFORCE.
SO, AGAIN, BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE MORE TRAINING TO THE DIRECTORS AND THE TEACHERS AND ALL OF THE WORKERS IN THE CHILDCARE CENTERS TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY CLASSROOM IS CHARACTERIZED BY HIGH-QUALITY SERVICE AND CARE. SO THIS IS JUST A PICTURE OF THE STATE OF QUALITY CHILDCARE DESERTS IN SAN ANTONIO. ANYTHING THAT IS NOT GRAY IS CONSIDERED A QUALITY CHILDCARE DESERT. THE DARKER IT IS, THE GREATER THERE IS A NEED FOR HIGH-QUALITY CARE. IT MEANS THAT WE NEED MORE SEATS, BOTH WHERE FAMILIES LIVE, BUT ALSO WHERE FAMILIES WORK.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE THAT SAN ANTONIO NEEDS TO DO A LOT OF WORK ACROSS THE COMMUNITY TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CHILDCARE. SO WE HAVE OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS REORGANIZED TO RESPOND TO THIS PROBLEM. BY RETOOLING SOME OF OUR -- THE KEY PROGRAM PIECES THAT HAVE WORKED FOR US IN THE FIRST
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DECADE, THE FOCUS OF OUR GRANTS AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING IS SHIFTING FROM WORKING WITH SCHOOLS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH SCHOOLS, BUT OUR PRIMARY FOCUS WILL BE WORKING WITH CHILDCARE CENTERS AND FAMILY HOME PROVIDERS, MOST OF WHICH ARE SMALL BUSINESSES OWNED PRIMARILY BY WOMEN OF COLOR AND THEY'RE OPERATING ON RAZOR THIN MARGINS.THOSE THAT SERVE OUR MOST VULNERABLE FAMILIES, THERE IS NO PROFIT MARGIN. IT'S HARD TO MAKE THE CASE.
SO WE HAVE STARTED THE SAN ANTONIO SHARED SERVICE ALLIANCE.
THIS IS A NETWORK OF ABOUT 100 PROVIDERS THAT PRE-K FOUR SA SUPPORTS IN ORDER TO HELP THEM IMPROVE THEIR BUSINESS PRACTICES SO THEY CAN BECOME PROFITABLE BUSINESSES WHILE ALSO IMPROVING THEIR QUALITY AND IMPROVING THE PAY THAT GOES -- THERE ON THE QUALITY MAP ARE ALL OF THE CENTERS WHERE WE ARE WORKING CURRENTLY ACROSS THE CITY TO HELP IMPROVE QUALITY AND ACCESS.
AND FINALLY, I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THE PRE-K FOUR SA IS NOT DOING THIS ALONE. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF GROUPS IN SAN ANTONIO WHO ARE COMMITTED TO HELPING IMPROVE THE EARLY LEARNING INFRASTRUCTURE, AND 50 OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS CAME TOGETHER OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS TO DEVELOP A PLAN FOR IMPROVING HIGH-QUALITY EARLY LEARNING ACROSS BEXAR COUNTY. AND THAT EFFORT WAS LED BY EARLY MATTERS, AND THERE IS AN ACTUAL IMPACT PLAN THAT WE'RE BEGINNING TO IMPLEMENT. AND HAPPY TO PROVIDE THOSE TO YOU, IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THIS PLAN. IT'S COMPREHENSIVE, WE'RE GATHERING DATA AROUND IT, HELPING TO INCREASE QUALITY, CREATE PROFESSIONAL PATHWAYS AND ENGAGE FAMILIES. AND IT'S ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE EARLY MATTERS WEBSITE. I'M GOING TO GET TO THE BUDGET PART, SO HERE'S OUR -- HERE'S THE MONEY -- OOPS. EXCUSE ME.
HERE'S WHERE WE'RE HEADED IN TERMS OF THE FUNDING THAT WILL HELP US TO ESTABLISH THESE THINGS.
FOUR SA BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO TALK ABOUT PRIORITIES FOR THE COMING YEAR. THOSE PRIORITIES INCLUDE EXPANDING TO SERVE CHILDREN PREK OR BIRTH THROUGH PREK. IN FACT, IN OUR NEW BUILDING THAT WILL OPEN NEXT YEAR, WE WILL HAVE FOUR INFANT/TODDLER CLASSES TO HELP US BEGIN TO DEVELOP MODELS OF WHAT HIGH-QUALITY INFANT/TODDLER CARE LOOKS LIKE. WE INTEND TO SET THE STANDARD FOIR HIGH-QUALITY BIRTH TO EDUCATION.
WE'RE FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING CAREER PATHWAYS FOR EARLY LEARNING TEACHERS SO THAT THEY CAN, WE HOPE, STAY IN THE CLASSROOM IF THEY'D LIKE DO THAT THEIR ENTIRE CAREER, OR IF THEY WANT THEY CAN BECOME DIRECTORS OR SPECIALISTS. WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING, SPONSORING A PREK CAMPAIGN TO HELP FAMILIES FIND PREK IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. IF THEY'RE NOT -- PRE-K FOUR SA IS FULL ALREADY, AND SO WE KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF FAMILIES WAITING AND THEY WANT TO GET INTO PREK PROGRAMS, SO WE'RE WORKING WITH EARLY MATTERS TO SPONSOR A PREK CAMPAIGN TO HELP FAMILIES GET CONNECTED. WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON A TOOL SO THAT FAMILY WHOSE HAVE CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN PREK WILL BE ABLE TO LOCATE AFFORDABLE, QUALITY CARE IN THEIR AREA WHERE THEY NEED IT.
THAT SHOULD BE COMING OUT NEXT YEAR. WE'RE INVESTING OUR GRANT FUNDS STRATEGICALLY TO SUPPORT CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS, AND, OF COURSE, AS INCUBATORS OF INNOVATION, INVENTING, INTERRUPTING AND INNOVATING TO HELP ADDRESS SOME OF THE MOST CHRONIC CHALLENGES IN SAN ANTONIO, INCLUDING MILITARY CHILDCARE, WHICH I DON'T KNOW IF YOU SAW MY EDITORIAL, I'M DETERMINED THAT SAN ANTONIO'S GOING TO BE THE FIRST CITY IN THE NATION TO SOLVE THE MILITARY CHILDCARE CRISIS SO THAT NO MILITARY AFFILIATED FAMILY ARE WAITING FOR CHILDCARE.
THERE ARE ALSO THINGS LIKE LOW WAGES THAT WE'RE COMMITTED TO ADDRESSING.
THE IMPACT FOR '25 IS MINIMAL IN THE SENSE THAT WE'RE NOT MAKING HUGE CHANGES. THE BIGGEST CHANGE IS WE WILL BE SHIFTING OUR GRANT FUNDING MOSTLY FROM SUPPORTING SCHOOLS TO SUPPORTING OUR CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS. WORKING WITH THE BUDGET OFFICE, WE HAVE SALES TAX PROJECTIONS FOR THE YEARS THROUGH THE END OF OUR AUTHORIZATION, AND THESE ARE THE PROJECTIONS OF WHAT THE 1/8-CENT THAT IS DEDICATED TO PRE-K FOUR SA WILL WRING IN OVER THOSE YEARS. WE ANTICIPATE BY THE END OF THIS YEAR WE WILL HAVE BROUGHT IN 51.4 MILLION AND IN FY '25, WE WILL HAVE 53.5 MILLION. YOU CAN SEE THE SALES TAX CONTINUES TO INCREASE MODESTLY THROUGHOUT THE YEARS OF THE AUTHORIZATION.
THIS IS A FINANCIAL FORECAST. THE BEGINNING BALANCE IS WHERE WE START THE YEAR, AND THAT COMES FROM THE OPERATING RESERVE.
WE ALWAYS KEEP THREE MONTHS IN OPERATING RESERVE, IN CASE WE HAVE A DOWNTURN, AND THAT WILL ALLOW US TO CONTINUE CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS. AND THEN WE HAVE A NET ENDING BALANCE.
THAT OPERATING RESERVE AND THE NET ENDING BALANCE COMBINE TO GIVE
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US OUR BEGINNING BALANCE FOR THE NEXT YEAR. SO FOR FY '25 WE ANTICIPATE ABOUT 24 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS TO BEGIN.REVENUE OF 58.000000, AGAIN, COMING MOSTLY FROM SALES TAX.
OUR EXPENDITURES, BOTH FOR FY '24 AND FY '25 INCREASE A BIT BECAUSE WE ANTICIPATE, ONE, WE'RE MAKING PAYMENTS ON OUR NEW BUILDING, BUT ALSO PURCHASING -- MAKING ONE-TIME PURCHASES FOR SOME OF THE NEW FURNITURE AND SOME OF THE OTHER MATERIALS THAT GO INTO THAT BUILDING, LEAVING US WITH AN ENDING BALANCE OF 1.7 MILLION.
AND THEN TO START FY '26 ANTICIPATING 17.7. HERE'S HOW WE ANTICIPATE SPENDING WHAT WE ARE ALLOCATING. OUR MODEL SCHOOLS, AGAIN, GOING UP A LITTLE BIT, BECAUSE WE'RE PUTTING SOME FUNDING INTO THE NEW BUILDING. OPERATIONAL SYSTEMS AND SERVICES THERE, FACILITIES AND MAINTENANCE ARE THE LEASES. WE LEASE THREE OUT OF THE FOUR BUILDINGS. THAT WILL CHANGE WITH OUR NEW BUILDING.
WE'RE GOING TO LEASE TO OWN IT. GRANTS IS HOLDING PRETTY STEADY AND THAT INCLUDES THE STAFF HELPING TO SUPPORT THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS AS WELL AS THE FUNDING THAT GOES TO SCHOOLS AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS. OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT IS OUR GROUP THAT WORKS WITH FAMILIES AND HELPS WITH ENROLLMENT AND HELPS WITH CONNECTING ACROSS THE COMMUNITY IN EARLY LEARNING RESOURCES. AND YOU CAN SEE THE SOUTH BUILD PROJECT, WE ANTICIPATE WE WILL HAVE A $5 MILLION PAYMENT NEXT YEAR WHEN THE BUILDING OPENS. OUR PERSONNEL COMPLEMENT, WE ARE ADDING 12 POSITIONS. THESE 12 POSITIONS WILL REPLACE CURRENT TEMPORARY WORKERS. PRE-K FOUR SA HAS A CONSERVATIVE APPROACH TO STAFFING. WHEN WE START SOMETHING NEW, WE TYPICALLY BRING IN TEMPORARY WORKERS TO SEE HOW IT IS GOING TO WORK, HOW MANY PEOPLE WE NEED, WHETHER THE WHOLE PROJECT IS GOING TO WORK.
AND THIS YEAR WE DID THAT WITH TWO THINGS: ONE, YOU MAY RECALL AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, WE HAD AN INCIDENT WHERE A CHILD INADVERTENTLY BROUGHT A GUN TO SCHOOL. AND WE WENT IN RESPONSE TO THAT, IMPLEMENTED CLEAR BACKPACKS AND REALIZED THAT IF CHILDREN HAD TOWELS AND BLANKETS IN THEM, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT WAS IN THEIR BACKPACKS.
SO WE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING THE TOWELS AND BLANKETS BUT THAT MEANS WE HAVE A LOT OF WASH TO DO EVERY DAY. WE BROUGHT ON EIGHT TEMPORARY CUSTODIAL STAFF TO HELP US FIGURE OUT HOW MANY IT WILL TAKE FOR US TO DO THAT. WE HAVE DETERMINED WE HAVE WILL NEED FOUR.
IT'S GOING TO SAVE US ABOUT $200,000 A YEAR. THE OTHER ONE IS FROM OUR OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM, PRE-K FOUR SA HAS TRADITIONALLY HIRED ABOUT 40 SEASONAL TEMPS WHO HELP US WITH ENROLLMENT BECAUSE WE THOUGHT OF ENROLLMENT AS A SEASOAL THING, GOING FROM ABOUT FEBRUARY UNTIL SEPTEMBER. BUT INCREASINGLY WE HAVE GONE YEAR ROUND:ONE, BECAUSE WE HAVE THREE-YEAR-OLDS WHO START ENROLLING FOR THE NEXT YEAR IN NOVEMBER. ALSO WE'RE BEGINNING TO LOOK AT YEAR-ROUND SERVICES. WITH THE ADDITION OF INFANT/TODDLER SERVICES, WE'RE BEGINNING TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH FAMILIES ABOUT WHETHER THERE MIGHT BE A NEED FOR YEAR-ROUND SERVICES FOR SOME OF OUR THREE AND FOUR-YEAR-OLDS AS WELL IF THAT WOULD BE OF ASSISTANCE TO THE FAMILIES. THE OTHER ITEM ON THE PERSONNEL COMPLEMENT IS A CORRECTION TO LAST YEAR'S PERSONNEL COMPLEMENT. WE SIMPLY PUT ONE POSITION IN PROGRAM EVALUATION AND RESEARCH THAT REALLY BELONGED IN INNOVATION SITES. AND THAT'S IT FOR ME, SO I'M GOING TO HAVE MY COLLEAGUE, MIKE, COME UP AND TALK ABOUT HOW THE OTHER END OF THE CONTINUUM, SAN ANTONIO'S INVESTING IN WORKFORCE AND EDUCATION.
>> THANK YOU, SARAH. GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY.
HAPPY TO BE IN FRONT OF Y'ALL THIS AFTERNOON TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING WITHIN OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ECOSYSTEM THROUGH THE READY TO WORK INITIATIVE. AND BEFORE I GET STARTED, I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT AND THANK MY STAFF THAT ARE HERE.
THESE GUYS DO A GREAT JOB BEHIND THE SCENES. WAVE YOUR HANDS, EVERYBODY. Y'ALL ARE SHY BACK THERE.
IT'S A SMALL TEAM, BUT IT'S A MIGHTY TEAM. THEY WORK EVERY DAY TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THIS PROGRAM IS DELIVERING THE RESULTS THAT OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS DESERVE. SO THE READY TO WORK TIMELINE, WE HAVE NOT BEEN IN OPERATION FOR A DECADE LIKE OUR COLLEAGUES OVER AT PRE-K FOUR SA. WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED IN THIS THING, BUT WE'VE ALREADY ACHIEVED SOME GREAT OUTCOMES IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. SO BACK IN MAY OF 2020, MAYOR NIRENBERG FORMED A TASK FORCE, THE HEART OF THE PANDEMIC DURING THIS TIME PERIOD, AND WHAT WAS MAGNIFIED WAS THE FINANCIAL INSECURITY THAT MANY OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS FACE AND A PLAN WAS E D VIZED FOR A LONG-TERM SOLUTION TO HELP TO REVERSE SOME OF THOSE TRENDS AND ECONOMIC DISPARITIES, AND THE CONCEPT FOR READY TO WORK WAS BIRTHED.
IN NOVEMBER OF 2020, ON THE BALLOT THE PROPOSITION PASSED, 77% OF THE VOTERS SAYING, YES, IT'S A GREAT INVESTMENT OF OUR DOLLARS TO ENSURE SAN ANTONIANS HAVE THE SKILLS THEY NEED TO GET BETTER JOBS TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES. IN 2021, THE CITY COUNCIL APPOINTED OUR READY TO WORK ADVISORY BOARD WHO IS MADE UP P PRIMARILY
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OF SAN ANTONIO EMPLOYERS.DESIGNED IS ENCOMPASSING THE NEEDS THAT PEOPLE MAY HAVE HERE TODAY.
WE HAD LAUNCHED READY TO WORK THROUGH AN RFP PROCESS THAT BEGAN? IN JULY OF 2021. WHO LIKE OUR COLLEAGUES AT PREK WHO ARE ACTUALLY DELIVERING THOSE EARLY LEARNING SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY, READY TO WORK HAS TAKEN ON A CONTRACT-BASIS APPROACH AND WE HAVE SOME PHENOMENAL PRIME PARTNERS. SEVERAL OF THEM ARE HERE TODAY, I SAW ANGEL, FRANCISCO FROM PROJECT QUEST, WHICH THIS PROGRAM IS DEFINITELY LOOSELY BASED UPON THE PRINCIPLES GLEANED FROM THAT PROJECT QUEST MODEL DOING THIS WORK IN OUR COMMUNITY FOR OVER 30 YEARS.
THOSE PRIME PARTNERS ARE BOOTS ON THE GROUND, WORK WITH PARTICIPANTS EVERY DAY, DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY, PROVIDING COACHING AND SUPPORT TO MAKE SURE THEY GET TO THEIR END GOAL WHICH IS A GOOD QUALITY JOB.
AFTER THAT RFP WAS COMPLETED, WE BROUGHT THOSE CONTRACTS TO CITY COUNCIL, AND THE'S WHERE OUR GOALS WERE SET. 28,800 PEOPLE ENROLLED IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS, AND 15,600 PLACED IN QUALITY JOBS THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH THE LIFE OF THE PROGRAM, AND THOSE HAVE NOT SHIFTED. THOSE HAVE NOT CHANGED. WE ARE WELL ON OUR WAY TO ACHIEVING THOSE GOALS, AND WE -- IN 2023, IN THAT FIRST YEAR OF OPERATION, ENROLLED OVER 3,000 COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION AND TRAINING. IN 2024, THAT MOMENTUM CONTINUES TO BUILD.
WE'RE NOW AT OVER 6800 PEOPLE WHO HAVE ENROLLED IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS, WE'RE HITTING OUR TARGET OF 71%. AND THEN THE AREAS WE'VE GOT TO IMPROVE IN ARE PLACE IN THE JOB PLACEMENT WITHIN A SIX-MONTH TIME PERIOD. WE'RE AT 80% OVER 12 MONTHS BUT OUR GOAL IS OVER SIX MONTHS. WE'VE SPENT SO FAR ABOUT $35 MILLION WHICH IS INVESTED IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING AND CH JOB PLACEMENT EFFORTS THROUGH MARCH OF THIS YEAR, WHICH IS ROUGHLY ABOUT 14% OF OUR BUDGET.
WE'VE ENROLLED 6800 PEOPLE WHICH IS ABOUT 24% OF OUR GOAL.
WE'RE GETTING VERY GOOD RETURNING ON INVESTMENT ON DOLLARS THAT HAVE SPENT SO FAR. THEN IN 2025 THROUGH 2029, WE PLAN TO DELIVER UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS TO EDUCATION AND QUALITY JOBS FOR SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS. AND START COLLECTING THE FUNDING DECEMBER 21, 2025, AS A PART OF THAT VOTER PROPOSITION, THOSE DOLLARS THEN SHIFT TO VIA, OUR LOCAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY WILL TAKE THOSE FUNDS AT THAT POINT IN TIME. THE PROGRAM DOES NOT TURN INTO A PUMPKIN.
WE CONTINUE TO SERVE THE THOUSANDS OF RNTDS THAT WILL BE IN THE L PIPELINE THROUGH 2029, IS WHAT OUR LATEST PROJECTIONS ARE.
WHY ARE WE INVESTING IN READY TO WORK, WE TALKED ABOUT THE DECADES LONG ISSUES, THE PANDEMIC HIGHLIGHTED THOSE ISSUES AND THEIR IMPACTS IN OUR COMMUNITY. THESE IMAGES ARE FROM OUR EQUITY DEPARTMENT'S EQUITY ATLAS, THERE ON THAT WEBSITE. PHENOMENAL WEBSITE, LOTS OF IN-DEPTH INFORMATION THERE, BUT YOU SEE HOW THESE MAPS OVERLAP.
THE DARKER COLORS ARE THE LOW EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT AREAS AND THEY ALSO MIRROR EACH OTHER EXACTLY. AND THEN YOU COUPLE WITH WITH BEING A MAJORITY MINORITY CITY WITH 75% OF THE CITY BEING PEOPLE OF COLOR AND HISTORIC RED LINING THAT LIMITED THE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR CERTAIN PARTS OF THE CITY AND YOU CAN SEE WHY THE CHALLENGES ARE GREAT THAT WE HAVE TO BE VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT HELPING OUR RESIDENTS TO OVERCOME. THESE DECADES LONG ISSUES ALSO INCLUDE OTHER AREA SUCH AS MENTAL HEALTH, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, JUSTICE SYSTEM INVOLVEMENTS, INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, TEEN PREGNANCIES, ALL THE THINGS THAT OTHER MAJOR CITIES HAVE TO GRAPPLE WITH, BUT I MENTION ALL THAT TO STATE, THERE IS NO MICROWAVE SOLUTION. THIS IS TOUGH WORK, THIS IS HARD WORK.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE A COMMUNITY-WIDE EFFORT TO HELP TO OVERCOME THESE BARRIERS, BUT ONE THING THAT WE KNOW IS PEOPLE BEING PLACED IN GOOD QUALITY JOBS TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES IS A GREAT THING FOR OUR COMMUNITY. SO I TALKED ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS IN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, YOU'VE GOT TWO PRIMARY CUSTOMERS. THE PEOPLE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT THAT WE'RE TRYING TO HELP, BUT JUST AS IMPORTANT ARE THE EMPLOYERS WHO HAVE THE GOOD QUALITY JOBS THAT THESE PEOPLE NEED TO BE ABLE TO BE SELF-SUSTAINING. SO WE HAVE TO MAKE S SURE THAT WE WALK THAT BALANCE, THAT LINE BETWEEN THE TWO.
THAT WE'RE MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE JOB SEEKERS AS WELL AS THE SKILLS BASED NEEDS OF THE EMPLOYERS. WHAT WE'RE WORKING TO DO IS GET A BETTER COMMITMENT OF THE EMPLOYERS OF THE PEOPLE THAT EDUCATE THE PROGRAM. WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE
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THAT WE'RE ALIGNED VERY CLOSELY WITH THESE GROWING INDUSTRIES, WHAT YOU SEE HERE ON THIS SLIDE IS FOUR OF THE NEARLY A DOZEN INDUSTRIES THAT WE REPRESENT WITHIN READY TO WORK AND OUR 83 OCCUPATIONS THAT WE PROVIDE EDUCATION AND TRAINING FUNDSO. AND OVER THE TWO DECADE TIME PERIOD LISTED THERE, IT'S KIND OF SMALL, SO YOU CAN'T SEE THOSE NUMBERS AND WHAT THEY ARE ON THE LEFT, THAT'S WHY WE DEFINITELY COULDN'T PUT THEM ALL UP THERE, BUT THERE'S BEEN SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN THE AMOUNT OF JOBS THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN THE SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY.IN ORDER FOR THOSE COMPANIES TO CONTINUE TO KEEP UP WITH THE PACE OF BUSINESS, THEY'VE GOT TO HAVE HIGHLY SKILLED, HIGHLY QUALIFIED WORKERS.
AND AS YOU SAW ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE ONE OF THE AREAS THAT WE'RE LACKING IS THAT SKILLED EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
WE'RE TRYING TO BRIDGE THAT GAP AND MAKE SURE THE MATCHES OCCUR BETWEEN THE DEMAND THAT THE EMPLOYERS HAVE AND THE SKILLS THAT THE PEOPLE HAVE ON THE SUPPLY SIDE. THIS IS GOING TO TAKE LARGE, MED AND SMALL BUSINESSES, ALL PARTICIPATING IN THE READY TO WORK INITIATIVE. WE'RE EVEN REACHING OUT, I KNOW THERE WAS A LOT OF DISCUSSION RECENTLY ABOUT THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR. WE'VE HAD NUMEROUS MEETINGS RECENTLY REPRESENTING THE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION, HOTEL AND LODGING ASSOCIATION TO BACKWARD MAP THE JOBS THAT ARE ALREADY APPROVED FOR READY TO WORK. WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND FINDING WAYS TO ENSURE THAT THOSE VALUABLE EMPLOYERS IN OUR COMMUNITY HAVE ACCESS TO THE WORKFORCE THAT THEY NEED. AS WE'RE INVESTING IN THOSE LOCAL EMPLOYERS THAT ARE ALREADY HERE, RETAINING COMPANIES THAT HAVE GOOD, QUALITY JOBS FOR RESIDENTS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO RECRUIT NEW COMPANIES INTO ANY CITY BECAUSE IT'S VERY COMPETITIVE.
SO IF WE COULD MAKE SURE THAT THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE HERE LOCALLY ARE STRONG, THAT THEY HAVE THE TALENT THAT THEY NEED TO GROW AND EXPAND, THEN THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING FOR THOSE COMPANIES CAN KEEP THOSE ROLES, AND THEN AS THEY GROW, CREATE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADDITIONAL RESIDENTS TO FILL. SO READY TO WORK WAS DESIGNED TO RESPOND TO SYSTEMIC CHALLENGES. IT WAS DESIGNED FROM THE BEGINNING AS THE MAYOR'S TASK FORCE INDICATED, WITH EMPLOYER INPUT AND FEEDBACK, KNOWING THAT THE END GOAL WASN'T JUST EDUCATION AND TRAINING, BUT EMPLOYMENT. TARGETED OUTREACH TO THOSE MOST VULNERABLE POPULATION THAT YOU SAW ON THOSE MAPS TO ENSURE THAT THE PEOPLE WHO NEEDED THE PROGRAM THE MOST WERE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE.
WE WORKED DILIGENTLY WITH OUR PARTNERS TO TRY TO STREAMLINE THAT INTAKE PROCESS TO MAKE IT AS PAINLESS AS POSSIBLE. THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE REQUIRED, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU CAN PROVIDE PROOF OF A FEW THINGS LIKE WHERE YOU LIVE, HOW OLD YOU ARE, WHAT YOUR HOUSEHOLD INCOME IS, BUT WE TRY TO MAKE THAT AS PAINLESS AS POSSIBLE FOR RESIDENTS AND WE'VE MADE GREAT STRIDES IN STREAMLINING THE PAPERWORK ON THE FRONT END. OVERCOMING BARRIERS, OUR PARTICIPANTS HAVE MANY BARRIERS THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO OVERCOME IN LIFE IN GENERAL.
PROVIDING ACCESS TO SUPPORTS, RESOURCES THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY, THROUGH OUR ALAMO AREA COMMUNITY NETWORK PARTNERSHIP TO ENSURE THAT WHATEVER NEED THEY HAVE, WE MEET THEM WHERE THEY'RE AT, CONNECT THEM TO RESOURCES TO ENSURE THEY CAN STAY ON TRACK TOWARDS MEETING THEIR GOALS. THOSE ASSESSMENTS THEY DO ON THE FRONT END, THEIR EDUCATION, PREVIOUS WORK EXPERIENCES, FAMILY SITUATION IS LIKE ARE INVALUABLE TO ENSURE THEY GET ACCESS TO THE RIGHT EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS TO HELP THEM TO MEET THEIR GOALS. QUALITY JOB PLACEMENT AGAIN IS THE ULTIMATE AIM OF OUR READY TO WORK INITIATIVE, AND THAT HAS BEEN THAT WAY FROM THE BEGINNING AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE SO.
SO SOME EARLY SUCCESSES. SO WHEN READY TO WORK, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M EXTREMELY PROUD OF IN THE WORK THAT OUR PARTNERS ARE DOING DAY IN AND DAY OUT, WORKING WITH PARTICIPANTS IS THE ONES THAT HAVE COMPLETED TRAINING AND FOUND PLACEMENT IN JOBS, THEY'VE SEEN SOME PHENOMENAL INCOME CREASES. $44,000 A YEAR IN INDIVIDUAL ANNUAL SALARIES IN THEIR NEW JOBS.
44,000 MAY NOT SOUND LIKE A LOT TO SOME PEOPLE, BUT THE AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD INCOME OF INDIVIDUALS ENTERING READY TO WORK HAS BEEN JUST OVER $15,000. SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN DOLLARS GOING INTO OUR FAMILIES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, NEARLY 800 NOW THAT HAVE FOUND JOBS, THAT IS TRULY TRANSFORMATIONAL FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS. A $1.7 BILLION RETURN ON INVESTMENT BASED ON THE YEAR 1 ENROLLEES. THIS REPORT WAS DONE BY DR. NIVEN, THE ROI AND DR. ROWAN, ONE YEAR NUMBERS ON INDIVIDUALS ENROLLED IN READY TO WORK AND WHAT THEIR EARNED INCOME OVER THEIR LIFETIMES -- AUDIO] -- OVER 400 -- 428 NOW EMPLOYERS, THAT NUMBER CONTINUES TO GROW OF EMPLOYER PARTNERS THAT HAVE PLEDGED THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE READY TO WORK INITIATIVE -- THEY COMPLETE THEIR EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS. WE HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY TRANSPARENT WITH ACCOUNTABILITY AND ADAPTABILITY BEING KEY PILLARS OF OUR WORK. I TELL MY TEAM ALL THE TIME, LIKE THE PLANES IN THE AIR AND WE'RE CONSTANTLY INNOVATING, CONSTANTLY MAKING ADJUSTMENTS, MAKING SURE THIS PROGRAM IS ACHIEVING THE OUTCOMES THAT THE TAXPAYERS EXPECT. WE HAVE SOME VERY
[00:30:03]
AMBITIOUS GOALS BECAUSE OUR PEOPLE DESERVE UNREASONABLE EXPECTATIONS, BECAUSE THEIR FAMILIES WELL-BEING DEPEND ON IT.WE'RE CONSTANTLY INNOVATING AND ADAPTING THE PROGRAM TO MEET THOSE NEEDS. THE PROGRAM HAS GARNERED NATIONAL RECOGNITION AS A BEST PRACTICE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE KNOW RIGHT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO BECAUSE WE'RE VERY CLOSE TO THE WORK AND WE WANT THIS PROGRAM TO MOVE QUICKER AND TO HIT THOSE BIG NUMBERS ON A FASTER PACE, WE EESH GETTING THERE. WE'RE GAINING MOMENTUM, AS YOU SAW.
HOWEVER, WHEN WE GO AROUND THE COUNTRY EXPLAINING THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT HERE LOCALLY, THE CLAB RIGHTS THAT'S HAPPENING WITH OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ECOSYSTEM, WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT, THE LOCAL WORKFORCE BOARD, THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, THE NONPROFITS, THE COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND THE EMPLOYERS ALL COMMITTED TO THIS EFFORT, WE ARE WELL AHEAD OF THE GAME THAN MANY OF THE MAJOR CITIES THAT WE ARE COMPARED AGAINST. AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO INNOVATE AND CONTINUE TO CHAMPION WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND INDIVIDUAL ECONOMIC MOBILITY AS A KEY PRIORITY FOR THE CITY.
SO YEAR 2 PROGRAM PROGRESS, A LITTLE DEEPER DIVE INTO THE NUMBERS.
OVER 6700 PEOPLE ENROLLED IN TRAINING TO DATE. AGAIN, THAT'S JUST UNDER TWO YEARS. ABOUT 18 MONTHS. AND 6700, NOW OVER 6800 IS MORE OF THE MANY SMALL COLLEGES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO HAVE ON THEIR ROLLS RIGHT NOW, SO WE'RE EXTREMELY IMPRESSED WITH THE WORK THAT OUR PARTNERS ARE DOING TO GET US TO THAT PLACE. THERE ARE AN ADDITIONAL 3600 PEOPLE THAT ARE ALREADY BEEN DETERMINED ELIGIBLE TO WORK, SO WE'LL BE OVER 10,000 IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AS THEY BEGIN TO EMBARK ON THEIR EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS. THERE'S ALREADY BEEN 1255 SUCCESSFUL COMPLETERS OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS. THIS IS AS OF APRIL THE 18TH. THAT NUMBER'S NOW A LITTLE BIT OVER 1300, AND NEARLY 5,000 PEOPLE ARE STILL ENROLLED, SO 6700 OVER THE LIFE OF THE PROGRAM, 5,000, NEARLY 4900 ARE STILL ENROLLED. ABOUT 1800 TOTAL COMPLETERS, ABOUT 550 THAT UNSUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THAT PROGRAM, WHICH ALIGNS WITH THE 71% COMPLETION RATE THAT WE'RE SEEING OVER THE LIFE OF THE INITIATIVE. 730 PEOPLE WERE PLACED IN JOBS.
AS OF THIS MORNING, WE'RE UP TO 794. SO THAT'S A HUGE INCREASE. NEARLY 70 PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN JOBS IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS. BECAUSE, AGAIN, AS OUR PARTNERS ARE WORKING TO MAKE SURE THAT CONNECTION IS HAPPENING, THOSE NUMBERS CONTINUE TO GROW AND CLIMB EVERY MONTH. THOSE 686 PEOPLE IN JOB SEARCH, WE'RE GOING TO WORK DILIGENTLY TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE CONNECTED TO GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. 71% OF OUR PARTICIPANTS HAVE EXITED TRAINING SUCCESSFULLY. 52% PLACED IN JOBS WITHIN SIX MONTHS AND WE'RE WORKING VERY DILIGENTLY TO HIT OUR AMBITIOUS ASPIRATIONAL GOAL OF 80% IN SIX MONTHS AND WE'RE GOING TO ASSIST OUR PARTNERS AS BEST WE CAN TO HELP THEM ACHIEVE THAT GOAL. BUT IN A 12-MONTH JOB PERIOD WE'RE SEEING 80% OF OUR PARTICIPANTS OVER THAT SPAN.
IT'S TAKING A LITTLE LONGER BUT THEY'RE GETTING WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. WE HAVE A VERY PUBLIC-FACING DASHBOARDS WHERE YOU CAN LOOK AT IT IF REF DAY TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS SHIFT AND CHANGE. THAT'S VERY INTENTIONAL ON OUR PART, ON AREAS THAT WE'RE DOING GREAT, THE INCOME THAT WE WANT TO CELEBRATE, THE AREAS THAT WE NEED SOME ASSISTANCE WITH, WE WANT TO SOLICIT HELP FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, IDEAS AND INPUT ON HOW TO HELP PEOPLE GET CONNECTED TO JOBS QUICKER.
OUR FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE DASHBOARD SO YOU CAN SEE HOW MUCH MONEY WE'RE EXPENDING. WE'VE SPENT ABOUT $35 MILLION SO FAR, AND, AGAIN, WE'RE ALREADY AT 24% OF OUR ENROLLMENT GOAL. SO THAT PHYSICAL -- SPENDING ABOUT $6,100 PER PARTICIPANT ENROLLED. THOSE ARE ACTUAL COSTS.
EVERY EXPENSE INCLUDING OVERHEAD, AND THEN FOR THE INDIVIDUAL WHOSE HAVE BEEN PLACED IN JOBS, THE ACTUAL EXPENSES ON THOSE INDIVIDUALS IS $5,565, BECAUSE WE GET THAT COMMENT OR THAT QUESTION, YOU KNOW, OFTEN, WELL, WE SPENT $35 MILLION AND WE ONLY HAVE 794 PEOPLE IN JOBS, NEARLY 800.
THEY'RE IN THE PIPELINE. TUITION COST, THE CASE MANAGEMENT AND COACHING COSTS ARE BAKED INTO THAT 35 MILLION. AND THE FRUIT OF THAT INVESTMENT WILL YIELD ITSELF IN JOBS AND PEOPLE IN GOOD-PAYING JOBS AS EVIDENCE BY THAT $44,000 A YEAR AVERAGE ANNUAL SALARY.
EQUITY AND INTENTIONAL OUTREACH. SO AS I TALKED ABOUT BEFORE, WE'RE SERVING THE MOST NEEDLY INDIVIDUALS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
OVER 800 SELF-IDENTIFIED PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES COMPLETED THE INTAKE PROCESS FOR READY TO WORK. OVER 300 MILITARY-INVOLVED, MILITARY-AFFILIATED FAMILIES.
OVER 1100 JUSTICE-INVOLVED INDIVIDUALS, OVER 260 FOSTER SYSTEM INVOLVED, AND, AGAIN, THAT HOUSEHOLD INCOME AT INTAKE, $15,000 A YEAR. WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE RESILIENCY AND GRIT THAT
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IT TAKES TO OPERATE AN ENTIRE HOUSEHOLD ON 15,000 A YEAR AND THEN I THINK ABOUT THE RELIEF THAT COMES FROM MAKING 44,000 ON THE OTHER SIDE, I'M REALLY VERY, VERY HOPEFUL ABOUT THE POTENTIAL THIS PROGRAM IS DELIVERING. SO NOW ON TO THE BUDGET. SO OUR FIVE-YEAR FORECAST, BECAUSE, AGAIN, WE DON'T TURN INTO A PUMPKIN DECEMBER 31, 2025, WHEN WE STOP COLLECTING, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE WAY THAT ARE GOING TON A- BRING MAXIMUM IMPACT TO THE NUMBERS THAT WE PROMISED THE VOTERS WHEN THOSE CONTRACTS WITH OUR PARTNERS WERE EXECUTED, SO THE GOALS HAVE NOT SHIFTED. 28,800 PEOPLEEN VOLED, 13,600 PLACED IN JOBS. THE TIME FRAME IT'S GOING TO TAKE TO DO THAT, WE EXPECT TO DO SO IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2029. SO OUR ANNUAL EXPENDITURE IS 49.5 MILLION IS OUR REQUEST FOR FISCAL YEAR '25 AND WE BEGIN TO SUNSET THE PROGRAM AFTER THE FUNDS STOP BEING COLLECTED IN FY '26, OUR SPEND DOWN LAST THROUGH THE FISCAL YEAR OF 2029. SO OUR ANNUAL BUDGET IN FY '25, 49.5 MILLION. THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT, 52%, GOES TOWARDS TUITION FOR OUR PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS, 23% IN CASE MANAGEMENT, CONTRACT SHALL FEES TO OUR PARTNERS , 9% IN EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE.EACH OF OUR PARTICIPANTS HAVE ACCESS TO UP TO $1,500 IN EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNDING, WHICH IS VALUABLE IF YOUR CAR BREAKS DOWN, SHORT PAYING YOUR RENT, SHORT-TERM ASSISTANCE PAYING FOR CHILDCARE.
I'LL TALK ABOUT OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH SARAH WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN A FEW MOMENTS THAT WE'RE PROPOSING. OUTREACH, 4% OF THE BUDGET, CITY ADMINISTRATION COSTS, 3%.
SALES TAX COLLECTION FEE, THAT GOES BACK TO THE STATE AT 2% AND CITY PROGRAM COST AT 2% OF THE PROGRAM. WE'RE PROPOSING AN INCREASE FROM 12 TO 19, TALKED ABOUT HAVING A SMALL TEAM.
IN THE PROGRAM CONTINUES TO GROW AND EXPAND, WE HAVE TO LEAN IN AND PROVIDE GREATER ASSISTANCE IN ENSURING, NUMBER ONE, THAT WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO BUILD ADDITIONAL EMPLOYER PARTNERSHIPS TO GET PEOPLE PLACED IN JOBS WHICH IS A BIG PART OF WHAT THOSE ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL WILL BE DOING WITHIN THE PROGRAM. AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T JUST SIT ON THE SIDELINES AND LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, OUR -- NOT HITTING OUR ASPIRATIONAL GOAL OF 80% WITHIN THE SIX-MONTH PERIOD.
WE WANT TO LEAN IN AND HELP AND PROVIDE AS MUCH ASSISTANCE AS WE POSSIBLY CAN TO HIT THAT NUMBER. IT'S GOING TO CONTINUOUSLY BE A FOCAL POINT OF OURS AS WE MOVE FORWARD IN READY TO WORK BECAUSE, AGAIN, THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THE PROGRAM IS INDIVIDUALS PLACED IN JOBS.
SO OUR NUMBER OF CLIENTS TO BE SERVED IN FISCAL YEAR '25, 7,594 INTAKE INTERVIEWS AND AS SIS TEMPTS DONE OVER OUR PARTNERS, OVER 6,000 PEOPLE ENROLLED IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING. THAT'S ON TOOP OF THE 6800 THAT ARE ENROLLED RIGHT NOW, SO WE'RE GAINING SERIOUS MOMENTUM AS FAR AS THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ENTERING THE PIPELINE OVER TIME. SO 70% IS OUR GOAL, AND WE'RE HITTING THAT MARK RIGHT NOW. INDIVIDUAL SUCCESSFUL COMPLETING TRAINING, AS YOU THINK ABOUT THE BARRIERS THAT I TALKED ABOUT BEFORE, BEING AT 70% COMPLETION RATE WITH THIS POPULATION IS PHENOMENAL.
IT WAS AN ASPIRATIONAL STRETCH GOAL AND THEY'RE HITTING IT.
OUR COMPLETERS IN QUALITY JOBS WITHIN THAT SIX-MONTH TIME FRAME, OUR GOAL AGAIN IS 80%. WE'RE AT 52%. WE'RE GOING TO LEAN IN AND ASSIST OUR PARTNERS IN ACHIEVING THAT. THEY'VE ALL SUBMITTED IMPROVEMENT PLANS ON HOW THEY'RE GOING TO LEVERAGE JOB FAIRS, EMPLOYER PARTNERSHIPS, CAREER SERVICES TEAMS IN ORDER TO HELP TO GET THAT NUMBER WHERE IT NEEDS TO B AND WE'RE GOING TO COME ALONGSIDE THEM AND HELP THEM TO ACHIEVE THAT GOAL. IP NO VAITTIVE WORKPLACE LEARNING MODELS. WE TALKED A COUPLE WEEKS AGO ABOUT OUR INCUMBENT WORKER PROGRAMS AND ON-THE-JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS, THOSE WERE ALWAYS A PART OF THE MASTER PLAN FOR READY TO WORK AT THE VERY BEGINNING. IT'S ALSO A GREAT SOLUTION FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO NEED TO WORK WHILE THEY'RE GETTING THEIR SKILLS ENHANCED.
SO WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE STIPENDS ATTACHED TO THE READY TO WORK INITIATIVE. THERE'S A NUMBER OF REASONS FOR THAT, WE TRIED IT OUT IN THE TRAINING FOR JOB INITIATIVE, WE GOT SOME MIXED FEEDBACK FROM OUR PARTNERS, FROM EMPLOYERS ON THAT ISSUE, AND SO THE WAY THAT WE COMPENSATED WAS $1,500 IN EMERGENCY FUNDING, AND NOW FINDING WAYS TO KEEP PEOPLE WORKING WHILE THEY'RE GOING TO SCHOOL.
APPRENTICESHIPS ARE A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THAT. YOU CAN EARN WHILE YOU LEARN. OUR APPRENTICESHIP TEAM IS WORKING TO EXPAND THOSE OPPORTUNITIES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO SO PEOPLE CAN CONTINUE TO HAVE A PAYCHECK COMING IN. OUR PAY IT FORWARD INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, THE ON-THE-JOB TRAINING AND INCUMBENT WORKERS. OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE SURAL REVENUES ARE EXERCISED TO GET US WHERE WE NEED TO BE.
IN THAT PILOT PROGRAM WE'RE HAPPY TO REPORT 1/3 ARE PARTICIPATING.
ONCE WE HAVE PROVEN SUCCESS, WE HOPE TO SEE THAT NUMBER INCREASE INTO THE FUTURE. PLACEMENT, AGAIN, IS OUR PRIORITY.
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TALENT PIPELINE MANAGEMENT WITH OUR PARTNERS AT GREATER S ATX AND SA WORKS FINDING OUT WHAT EXACTLY THE SKILLS NEED THAT OUR EMPLOYERS NEED THAT KEEP THEM UP AT NIGHT, HAVING TROUBLE FILLING HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. FINDING OUT WHAT ISSUES CAN BE EXPUNGED, WHAT CAN WE TAKE OFF YOUR RECORD TO MAKE YOU MORE ATTRACTIVE TO EMPLOYERS DOWN THE ROAD, READY TO WORK JOB BOARD IS GOING TO BE TRANCE FORMATIONAL. WE STARTED OFF WITH THE WORK IN TEXAS A STATE-FUNDED JOB BOARD. WE WANTED TO FUNNEL EVERYBODY INTO IT.IT WAS ALREADY IN PLACE. THOSE NUMBERS CAN COUNT TOWARDS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE BEING SERVED HERE IN OUR LOCAL MSA, OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY, BUT WHAT WE'VE HEARD FROM FEEDBACK FROM PARTICIPANTS, OUR PARTNERS, EMPLOYERS, WE NEED SOMETHING THAT'S MORE FOCUSED ON JUST FOR US, JUST FOR READY TO WORK. AS WE SCRUB AND PULL DOWN ALL THE JOB OPENINGS THAT ARE POSTED BY OUR LOCAL EMPLOYERS, OVER 83 OCCUPATIONS, OUR CASE MANAGERS CAN CONNECT OUR PARTICIPANTS TO THOSE JOBS IN THAT ONE CENTRAL LOCATION IS GOING TO HELP TO SPEED THAT PROCESS UP.
WE'RE NOT VUS UH-HUH JUST SITTING BACK AND SAYING WE'VE GOT TO GET BETTER.
WE'RE PUTTING THINGS IN PLACE TO EXPEDITE THAT HIRING PROCESS.
FINISH LINE GRANTS WHEN OUR PARTICIPANTS COMPLETE THEIR TRAINING, WE'RE OFFERING THROUGH SOME GENEROUS FUNDS FROM TOYOTA, THE ABOUT TO GIVE THEM A GIFT CARD WHEN THEY TELL US THEY GOT EMPLOYED.
WHEN THEY LET US KNOW, SHOW US A PAY STUB, GIVE US AN OFFER LETTER SO WE CAN VERIFY THEIR EMPLOYMENT. BECAUSE IT'S A VERY PUBLIC PROGRAM, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE ALL THE DOCUMENTATION AND VALIDATION IS THERE WHEN WE PUT A NUMBER ON THAT DASHBOARD THAT SOMEBODY GOT A GOOD QUALITY JOB TO MAKE SURE THE WAGES AREN'T ANECDOTAL, BUT THEY'RE VERIFIED. JOB VERIFICATION SOFTWARE TO PULL DOWN THOSE INDIVIDUAL WHOSE MAY HAVE JOBS THAT WE JUST HAVEN'T GOTTEN THAT REPORT BACK FROM TO GET THOSE COUNTED IN THE ROLLS. WORKING WITH 3-1-1 TO CALL THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVEN'T BEEN PLACED YET TO ASSIST OUR PARTNERS IN MAKING THOSE CONNECTIONS TO FIND OUT IF THEY'VE GOT EMPLOYMENT. WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR BLEJED EMPLOYERS AND OUR PARTNER EMPLOYEES IN THE COMMUNITY TO TELL US WHEN SOMEBODY GETS HIRED SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THE HARD WORK OUR PARTNERS ARE DOING ON A DAY-TO-DAY EFFORT WE GET CREDIT FOR. AD ADDRESSING COMIELD CARE BEARIERS, WE KNOW ONE OF THE BIGGEST BARRIERS FOR OUR PARTICIPANTS, 65% OF ALL PARTICIPANTS ARE WOMEN, HAVE ACCESS TO CHILD CARE, AND QUALITY CHILDCARE. NOT JUST CHILDCARE.
SO -- IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PRE-K FOUR SA, THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES, WE'RE GOING TO WORK TO ALLEVIATE THAT WAIT TIME FOR OUR READY TO WORK PARTICIPANTS WHO ARE ON THAT WAITLIST. WE'RE PROPOSING TO SET ASIDE A MILLION DOLLARS IN OUR BUDGET TO FUND CHILDCARE ACTIVITIES FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO NEED TO GET TH TRAINING OR NEED TO ACCEPT THAT JOB OFFER, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE QUAWMENT CHILDCARE AVAILABLE AND WE'RE GOING TO DO IT IN COLLABORATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES AND PRE-K FOUR SA, DR. BARAY, SHE'LL COME UP AND TALK ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT FURTHER, AS GENEROUSLY SUGGESTED TO PROVIDE ENROLLMENT COUNSELORS FOR OUR P PARTICIPANTS TO HELP THEM SELECT A QUALITY PROGRAM NEAR THEIR WORK, SCHOOL OR HOME.
AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES WILL BE EXECUTING THE PAYMENTS THROUGH A VOUCHER FORMAT UNTIL THOSE INDIVIDUALS COME OFF OF THE CCS WAITLIST AND CAN BE PICKED UP BY THOSE STATE DOLLARS.
SO WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO LEVERAGE THESE DOLLARS TO BE A BRIDGE UNTIL THEY GET CONNECTED TO THE LONGER TERM SOLUTION OF SUPPORT.
AND WE LOVE TO END WITH A POINT OF LIGHT, JUST TO TALK ABOUT THE PEOPLE.
I TALK A LOT ABOUT NUMBERS, BUT I DON'T WANT YOU TO LOSE SIGHT OF THE PEOPLE THAT THIS PROGRAM'S ASSISTING T FAMILIES THAT ARE BEING IMPACTED. STEVEN JOINED SAN ANTONIO READY TO WORK THROUGH ALAMO COLLEGES AFTER BEING LAID OFF FROM HIS PREVIOUS JOBS.
HE WAS IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS. HE COMPLETED REGION 20 TEACHER ORIENTATION, A PREPARATION PROGRAM, ALTERNATIVE TEACHER CERTIFICATION PROGRAM AND HE'S NOW EMPLOYED BY THE SAN ANTONIO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AS A MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH TEACHER EARNING 57,000 A YEAR. QUOTE FROM STEVEN, HE IS GRATEFUL FROM THE SUPPORT HE RECEIVED FROM READY TO WORK AND FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO REACH HIS LONG-TERM GOAL OF BECOMING A TEACHER. AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION. AND AT THIS TIME, WE'RE GOING TO OPEN IT UP FOR
QUESTIONS. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU, MIKE. YOU ALLUDED TO SARA COMING BACK UP.
ARE YOU COMING BACK UP FOR SOMETHING, SARAH. >> SO PRE-K FOUR SA'S ENROLLMENT TEAM IS GOING TO HELP READY TO WORK FAMILY NEEDS CHILDCARE, THEY'LL CALL OUR ENROLLMENT SPECIALISTS WHO WILL HELP THEM CONNECT TO AN APPROPRIATE PROVIDER, BECAUSE CHILDCARE IS A UNIQUE THING IN AND OF ITSELF AND OUR ENROLLMENT TEAM SPECIALIZES IN BEING ABLE TO HELP FAMILIES MEET THEIR NEEDS WHERE THEY ARE.
THAT'S HOW WE'RE GOING TO WORK TOGETHER. PREPRE-K FOUR SA IS ALSO COMMITTED, SHOULD WE RUN OUT OF THE MILLION DOLLARS -- AUDIO] -- WE KNOW CHILDCARE AND ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY EARLY LEARNING AND CARE IS CRITICAL FOR OUR READY TO WORK FAMILIES.
[00:45:01]
GREAT, THANK YOU, SARAH. I'LL JUST START OUR CONVERSATION.WE'LL GET TO COUNCIL DISCUSSION IN JUST A SECOND.
IT'S A PRESENTATION ON TWO VOTER APPROVED PROGRAMS, BUT I THINK IT'S PART OF A LARGER COMMUNITY-WIDE EFFORT THAT WE SHOULD RECOGNIZE THAT ALSO INCLUDES OUR K THROUGH 12 SYSTEM. A FEW YEARS AGO THEN PRESIDENT OF TEXAS A&M LAUNCHED AND ASPIRE PROGRAM.
IT'S REALLY BRINGING SOME INNOVATION AND RESOURCES TOGETHER ON THE SOUTH SIDE SCHOOL DISTRICTS. WE ALSO HAVE LAUNCHED A COMMUNITY-WIDE ALAMO COLLEGE DISTRICT, ALAMO PROMISE PROGRAM. UTSA NOW HAS A BOLD PROMISE PROGRAM. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT EFFORTS IN OUR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS FROM EARLY LEARNING ALL THE WAY UP TO ADULTS REENTERING THE WORKFORCE, ALL GEARED TOWARDS ECONOMIC MOBILITY IN THE CITY. AND IT'S JUST SOMETHING I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT AT THAT PERSPECTIVE BECAUSE I JUST CAME BACK FROM A CONFERENCE WITH MANY OTHER CITIES IN CHICAGO. THERE IS NOT A COMMUNITY IN THIS COUNTRY THAT IS COLLECTIVELY FOCUSED ON THE ISSUE OF ECONOMIC MOBILITY LIKE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, PUTTING THEIR VOTES BEHIND IT, PUTTING OUR PUBLIC RESOURCES BEHIND IT. EVERY CITY IN THE COUNTRY, I CAN TELL YOU, IS TALKING ABOUT IT. NOBODY IS DOING IT IN THIS WAY.
AND I DO WANT TO RECOGNIZE OUR PARTNERS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, DELIA, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. WE HAVE WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS AS WELL. FRANCISCO WAS POINTED OUT, PROJECT QUEST, AND I THINK ALAMO COLLEGES IS HERE AS WELL. SO THIS IS A COMMUNITY-WIDE EFFORT FROM, AGAIN, THREE YEARS OLD ALL THE WAY TO ADULT WORKFORCE AND IT'S REALLY REMARKABLE. IT'S GOING TO TAKE LONG-TERM COMMITMENT. AND SARAH, YOU POINTED OUT THE SUCCESSES OVER TIME AT PREK, THE PROBABILITY HAS GROWN. YOU KNOW, WHEN IT WAS APPROVED IN 2012 BY I WOULD SAY A RAZOR'S MARGIN, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS SOME CHALLENGES STANDING UP, BUT AFTER THE TWO CENTERS WERE OPENED, PEOPLE SAW WHAT COULD HAPPEN, AND THEY VERY CLEARLY MADE THEIR VOICES HEARD WHEN IT WAS REAUTHORIZED IN 2020. THE SAME THING IS HAPPENING AT READY TO WORK. OBVIOUSLY IN A PROGRAM OF THIS SCALE -- AND LET ME JUST BE VERY CLEAR. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR A LONG TIME IN THIS CITY AND ELSEWHERE.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AT SCALE HAS NEVER HAPPENED ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY.
THE TWO ARE REMARKABLY DIFFERENT BECAUSE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS, AS WE'VE HEARD TIME AND TIME AGAIN FROM MIKE AND OTHERS, ARE VERY DIFFICULT. IF IT WAS EASY, EVERYBODY WOULD BE DOING IT.
BUT TO DO IT AT SCALE WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EACH INDIVIDUAL MEMBER PARTICIPANT HAVING THEIR OWN UNIQUE LIFE CHALLENGES IS VERY DIFFICULT. AND SO I THINK THAT'S A LESSON LEARNED.
WE DIDN'T CLEARLY TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE HARD FROM THE START, BUT YOU GUYS HAVE PERSEVERED AND OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES, AND IN PARTICULAR WITH READY TO WORK REMAINING FLEXIBLE TO THE NEEDS OF EMPLOYERS TO MAKE SURE WE'RE TRAINING FOLKS FOR THE RIGHT CAREERS, MAKING SURE THAT THE TRAINING PROGRAMS WERE CUSTOMIZED IN A WAY THAT MET THE EMPLOYERS' NEEDS, ALL THOSE THINGS ARE HAPPENING.
AND, MIKE, YOU'VE FLASHED A SLIDE ON THE SCREEN WITH THE LATEST NUMBERS, IF ANYBODY WANTS TO GO ON THE READY TO WORK DASHBOARD RIGHT NOW, THOSE NUMBERS ARE FAR SURPASSED. IN FACT, OVER THE LAST MONTH OR SO, WE'VE SEEN A 15% INCREASE IN JOB PLACEMENTS.
IT CAN'T BE UNDERSTATED -- IT CAN'T BE OVERSTATED, WE STILL HAVE 5,000 PEOPLE IN THE PIPELINE AS OF TODAY, SO THE DOLLARS THAT ARE GOING OUT ARE TO GET SOMEBODY ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE PIPELINE.
SO WE EXPECT THOSE NUMBERS, AGAIN, TO ACCELERATE.
I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE A COUPLE OF THINGS. IF YOU COULD OPEN UP SLIDE 23 SO YOU PUT THIS ON THE BOARD MIKE AS A REASON FOR WHY WE'RE INVESTING READY TO WORK. I THINK THIS IS EQUALLY APPLICABLE TO PRE-K FOUR SA AS WELL. WE KNOW THAT A LARGE PORTION OF THE AVERAGE PARTICIPANTS, FOR INSTANCE, OF READY TO WORK, ARE ALSO RAISING CHILDREN. WE KNOW THAT THOSE CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, ASPIRATIONS AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY IN FUTURE LIVES ARE CHANGED DRAMATICALLY WHEN THE PARENTS ARE NOT HAVING TO WORK THREE OR FOUR JOBS TO MAKE ENDS MEET AND ARE THERE WITH THEIR CHILDREN.
SO THE SAME MAPS APPLY FOR PRE-K FOUR SA FOR READY TO WORK.
NOW, IF YOU CAN GO TO SLIDE 29. THIS IS -- THIS, TO ME, TELLS A STORY OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE. WE COULD GO AND PICK UP, YOU KNOW, FOLKS THAT WANT TRAINING VERY EASILY. WE'RE INTENTIONALLY GOING AFTER THE HARDEST TO REACH PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT MOST NEED THIS KIND OF OPPORTUNITY. 7%, OR MORE AT THIS POINT, JUSTICE INVOLVED. WE SEE THE OUTREACH TO MILITARY FAMILIES, FOSTER
[00:50:05]
YOUTH, ET CETERA. SO I WANT TO COMMEND YOU FOR STAYING TRUE TO THE EQUITY -- THE EQUITY COMPONENT AND IMPORTANCE OF THIS.IF YOU LOOK AT THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF OUR COMMUNITY, AGAIN, 75% COMMUNITY OF COLOR. WE ARE OVERSAMPLING IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND WE'RE SEEING MOST OF OUR PARTICIPANTS IN THOSE HIGH-NEED COMMUNITIES.
LAST THING, AND THEN WE'LL MOVE TO CONVERSATION, I DID SEE A HEADLINE THAT READY TO WORK IS ASKING FOR $45 MILLION -- 45 MORE MILLION DOLLARS AND SEVEN MORE STAFF. THIS IS NOT NEW MONEY.
THIS IS ALREADY -- FOUR SA. SO, AGAIN, GREAT JOB, EVERYBODY.
I HOPE ALL OF US CAN KEEPER SPECKTIVE OF THE BROADER EFFORTS, NOT JUST ONE OF THESE PROGRAMS INDIVIDUALLY, BUT WHAT THIS COMMUNITY HAS DONE TO REALLY FOCUS ON THIS ISSUE OF ECONOMIC MOBILITY WRIT LARGE, AND WE TALK A LOT ABOUT HOUSING AFFORDABILITY. WE WILL NEVER SOLVE THE CRISIS OF HOUSING IN OUR COUNTRY OR IN THIS CITY WITHOUT ALSO WORKING ON EDUCATION. WE HAVE TO WORK ON INCREASING PEOPLE'S WAGES, AND THAT MEANS MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE EDUCATION AND SKILL SETS TO ACTUALLY OBTAIN THE JOBS THAT ARE BEING CREATED, THAT DON'T PAY POVERTY WAGES. LAST QUESTION, THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY BETWEEN BOTH OF YOU, MIKE AND SARAH, ON THE ISSUE OF CHILDCARE.
AND I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE CHILDCARE PILOT.
IF ANYTHING, I THINK WE'RE UNDERESTIMATING HOW MUCH MORE WE COULD DO ON THIS. MIKE, ARE WE TRAINING FOLKS IN EARLY EDUCATION TO HELP DEAL WITH THE WORKFORCE SHORTAGE IN THOSE CAREERS?
BECAUSE WE HEAR ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME? >> NOT YET.
WE TRIED A PILOT PROGRAM WITH WORKFORCE -- SERVICES, ONE OF THEIR SUBCONTRACTORS TO SEE IF WE COULD GET THE WAGE NUMBERS THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO ACHIEVE WITHIN READY TO WORK.
AND WE DIDN'T QUITE HIT WHERE WE NEEDED TO BE BECAUSE WAGES IN THAT SECTOR JUST AREN'T HIGH ENOUGH. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH DELIA AND THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT, LIKE WHAT CAN WE DO FROM A POLICY PERSPECTIVE, FROM A PROGRAMMATIC PERSPECTIVE TO HELP THOSE CHILDCARE PROVIDERS INCREASE WAGES, SO THAT IT CAN BE A DESTINATION JOB OR DESTINATION CAREER FOR INDIVIDUALS, BUT WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THAT ISSUE.
>> AND I WILL SAY IN THAT ROADMAP PLAN THAT WE'VE PUT TOGETHER THROUGH EARLY MATTERS, THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT'S BEING ADDRESSED IS THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT WORKFORCE AND WE DO INTEND -- MIKE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW THIS YET, BUT WE INTEND TO REALLY START A CAREER PATHWAY THROUGH READY TO WORK, BECAUSE THERE'S MULTIPLE ENTRY POINTS FOR EARLY LEARNING TEACHERS.
SOME ARE COMING STRAIGHT OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL, SOME ARE HAVING A SECOND CAREER OR HAVE BEEN IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS, AND SO WE ARE IN -- PRE-K FOUR SA AND THE LARGEST EARLY CHILDHOOD COMMUNITY IS WORKING ON THIS.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: OKAY. IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO FROM A POLICY PERSPECTIVE, I'D CERTAINLY BE INTERESTED IN THAT.
DELIA, I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE TACKLING THIS FROM A NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE.
YOU KNOW, THIS ALSO PERTAINS TO TEACHERS IN GENERAL.
WE DON'T PAY TEACHERS NEARLY WHAT THE VALUE IS TO THE COMMUNITY, BUT WE SHOULD ADD CHILDCARE TO THAT. AND, JEFF, IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE CAN BE VOCAL ABOUT IN OUR LEGISLATIVE AGENDAS, STATE LEADERSHIP IS BEGINNING TO ACTUALLY TALK ABOUT THE LACK OF ADEQUATE TEACHER PAY. MAYBE WE CAN UNDERSTAND THAT'S A CHILDCARE ISSUE AS WELL, IF WE'RE GOING TO SOLVE OUR ECONOMIC ISSUES IN THE STATE.
SO I'D CERTAINLY BE INTERESTED IN SEEING WHAT WE CAN DO FROM A LEGISLATIVE PERSPECTIVE. LET'S GO STRAIGHT TO DISCUSSION NOW.
WE'LL START WITH COUNCILMEMBER ALDARETE GAVITO.
>> GAVITO: THANK YOU, MAYOR. I'M GOING TO START WITH READY TO WORK PRESENTATION. THANKS SO MUCH, MIKE, FOR THAT PRESENTATION. I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS.
OH, SORRY, OKAY. I CAN'T SEE YOU. YOU KNOW, I DEFINITELY COMMEND READY TO WORK'S MISSION AND IMPACT ON THE PEOPLE IT EASIER FED SO FAR. I AGREE THAT TRYING TO BREAK GENERATIONAL POVERTY IS NOT EASY, AND I APPRECIATE US AS A CITY TRYING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. AT THE SAME TIME, TOO, I DO WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO THE GOAL WE'VE SET.
I THINK IF WE'RE BEING ASKED TO INVEST MORE MONEY, WE NEED ASSURANCE ON HOW WE'RE GOING TO HIT THAT MARK AND THAT THE TAXPAYER DOLLARS WILL MAKE THE GREATEST IMPACT POSSIBLE. AND I DO THINK THAT IF VOTERS WERE LED TO BELIEVE CERTAIN THINGS ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND THEY VOTED IT IN BECAUSE OF THESE BELIEFS, WE OWE IT TO THEM TO MEET THOSE EXPECTATIONS. I AM ON SLIDE 27, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT ONLY 52%
[00:55:03]
OF FOLKS BEING PLACED IN QUALITY JOBS. WHAT EFFORTS ARE WE GOINGTO DO TO RAISE THAT? >> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE GOING TO D IS IMPLEMENT IN TOTALITY THAT JOB BOARD THAT I WAS REFERRING TO TO HELP MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS HAPPEN AT A QUICKER RATE. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO CONVENE OUR EMPLOYERS AND HOST JOB FAIRS WITHIN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR PARTNERS, WHO HAVE ALSO SUBMITTED IMPROVEMENT PLANS ON HOW THEY'RE GOING TO MOVE THAT NEEDLE THROUGH CONNECTING ON THE FRONT END PARTICIPANTS TO THOSE CAREER PATHWAYS THAT ARE IN MOST DEMAND, BECAUSE THAT SUPPLY AND DEMAND MESH IS EXTREMELY VITAL AND IMPORTANT TO HAVING THE OUTCOME THAT YOU WANT TO SEE ON THE BACK END. SO IF YOU PICK THE RIGHT TRAINING PROGRAMS THAT LEADS TO THE RIGHT OUTCOMES, IT INCREASES YOUR POSSIBILITY OF GETTING EMPLOYED. WHICH HAVE AN INNOVATIVE PAY IT FORWARD INTERNSHIP PROGRAM. THEY MAY HAVE BEEN WORKING AS A KOOSH SHEER AT THEIR LOCAL CONVENIENT STORE, THEY HEARD ABOUT READY TO WORK, GOT INSPIRED AND NOW I WANT TO GO INTO I.T.
GO THROUGH YOUR TRAINING PROGRAM, GET YOUR CREDENTIALS BUT YOU HAVE ZERO EXPERIENCE. WE COVER THE COST OF WAGES FOR SIX WEEKS, AND THEN IF THAT EMPLOYER AFTER THAT EXTENDED INTERVIEW SAID THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN OUR TYPICAL CANDIDATE, BUT THEY'VE SHOWN THAT THEY'VE GOT THE TECHNICAL SKILLS, THE SOFT SKILLS, WE WANT TO CONVERT THEM AND HIRE THEM AS FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES, WELL THEN NOW YOU'VE CREATED AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT INDIVIDUAL THEY WOULDN'T HAVE HAD BEFORE BECAUSE THE HIRING PROCESSES WOULD NOT HAVE MADE THEM THE TOP CHOICE OR THE FIRST CHOICE. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND THAT INTERNSHIP PROGRAM. BRING IN NEW EMPLOYERS WHO ARE LOOKING TO GROW, EXPAND, PROJECT-BASED ALIGNMENT IS SOMETHING WE'RE HYPERFOCUSED ON.
WE'VE GOT A PARTNER CALLED ACCELERATOR FOR AMERICA THAT IS REALLY FOCUSED ON FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT ARE COMING DOWN INTO SAN ANTONIO AS PART OF THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW, IT'S PART OF THE CHIPS ACT IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT THE ADMINISTRATIVE INITIATIVES ARE ACHIEVED. ALIGN WITH ALL THAT WORK THAT'S BEING DONE AND BETTER FORECAST WHAT THE JOBS ARE GOING TO BE SO WE CAN GET PEOPLE LAUNCHED IN THOSE PATHWAYS TO ENHANCE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
I HAVE TO EMPHASIZE THIS POINT. THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES.
THERE'S NEVER A GUARANTEE THAT A PERSON'S GOING TO GET A JOB, WE NEVER PROFESS TO GUARANTEE ANYTHING TO OUR PARTICIPANTS.
WE WANT TO SET THEM UP FOR SUCCESS, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF VARIABLES BETWEEN THAT INDIVIDUAL GOING THROUGH THAT PROCESS, THEY HAVE TO SELL THEMSELVES, THEY HAVE TO HAVE THAT CONFIDENCE INSTILLED IN THEM. THAT'S THE WORK THAT OUR PARTNERS DO EVERY DAY, THERE IS A PLACE FOR THEM, AND THEY CAN ACHIEVE THEIR CAREER GOALS WITH A LITTLE BIT OF SUPPORT. WE HAVE EMPLOYERS ON THE OTHER END WAITING TO CATCH THEM. DOUBLING DOWN ON THOSE
EFFORTS IS WHAT WE'RE PLANNING TO DO. >> GAVITO: SO WHAT I'M HEARING YOU SAY IS THROUGH A JOB BOARD, INTERNSHIPS AND THROUGH
INCREASING THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYERS. >> CAREER NAVIGATION, MAKING SURE THE ALIGNMENT TO THE PATHWAYS THEY'RE CHOOSING ALIGNS WITH THE DEMAND THE EMPLOYERS HAVE. THOSE ARE ALL THE EF TO RT THAT'S WE'RE LOOKING TO DO IN ORDER TO ENHANCE THAT PROTION.
EXPANDING OUR APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE EFFORTS THAT WE'RE DOING TO MOVE THAT NEEDLE FORWARD.
>> GAVITO: THE GOAL IS THAT 80% WOULD BE PLACED IN SIX MONTHS.
>> THAT IS THE EXPECTATION. >> GAVITO: YEAH, I JUST
THINK THAT WE'RE WAY OFF, RIGHT? >> CORRECT.
>> GAVITO: AND, AGAIN, THE PROGRAM THAT WAS SOLD TO VOTERS IS NOT WHAT WE'RE SEEING, AND SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT YOU LISTED OFF ARE -- THAT WE HAVE HOW IT'S GOING TO MOVE THE NEEDLE TO GET US TO THAT 80% INSTEAD OF JUST, YOU KNOW, HOPING THAT IT WILL
GET US THERE. >> WE'RE NOT JUST HOPING.
THERE'S ACTION STEPS THAT ARE BEING TAKEN. >> WALSH: COUNCILWOMAN, THAT'S THE REASON WHY WE'RE RECOMMENDING SEVEN POSITIONS.
MIKE MENTIONED IN HIS PRESENTATION, WE'RE CONTRACTING WITH OUR PART ANYWHERES TO DO THAT WORK, BUT IT'S RESULTING IN 52%.
SO WE WANT MORE ACCOUNTABILITY THERE. AND FRANKLY, AN ADDITIONAL LAYER OF PEOPLE THAT WORK FOR US TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THAT CONNECTION. THAT'S THE REASON WHY WE'RE RECOMMENDING SEVEN POSITIONS. THAT -- I DON'T WANT THAT -- AND MIKE'S ANSWER ABOUT A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT REALLY IT'S ABOUT A LITTLE BIT OF TAKING CONTROL OF OURSELVES AND THOSE ARE ASSETS WE DON'T
HAVE RIGHT NOW. >> GAVITO: THAT'S HELPFUL.
THANKS, ERIK. I DID ALSO WANT TO CLARIFY, I KNOW THAT, MIKE, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN THE INDIVIDUAL BRIEFING.
THE 71% WHO EXITED TRAINING SUCCESSFULLY, BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING AT THE 1255 WHO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED TRAINING, BUT THEN THAT MEANS THAT 2,146 PEOPLE WENT THROUGH THE TRAINING BUT ONLY 1255 --
>> NOT QUITE. IT'S ABOUT 1800 THAT HAVE COMPLETED TRAINING RIGHT NOW. 6708, SUBTRACT THE 4901 THAT ARE STILL IN TRAINING AND THEN SUBTRACT THE 1255 THAT HAVE COMPLETED, YOU'RE LEFT WITH 552 WHO WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN COMPLETING TRAIR TRAINING
[01:00:03]
PROGRAMS WHICH IS WITHIN THAT RANGE OF 70% OF OUR SUCCESSFUL COMPLETERS.>> GAVITO: OKAY. THANKSGIVING FOR CLARIFYING THAT.
OUT OF THE 686 IN A JOB SEARCH, DO WE KNOW HOW MANY OF THEM ARE ZERO TO THREE MONTHS IN A JOB SEARCH, THREE TO SIX MONTHS, SIX TO NINE
MONTHS? >> ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT WE HAVE LEARNED FROM THIS PROCESS IS THAT THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE GOTTEN JOBS, THAT 794 NOW, ON AVERAGE, THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT IT TOOK THEM TO GET THOSE
JOBS THE 40 DAYS. >> GAVITO: UH-HUH. >> AFTER THAT TWO-MONTH PERIOD, IF THEY HAVEN'T FOUND EMPLOYMENT YET, IT GETS REALLY TOUGH.
>> GAVITO: YEAH. >> AND SO THAT 686 THAT DO NOT HAVE A JOB YET, THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF DAYS IS ABOUT 200 PLUS, 224, I BELIEVE, IS THE NUMBER OF HOW LONG THEY HAVE BEEN OUT OF TRAINING AND NOT YET EMPLOYED.
SO THERE'S A NUMBER -- >> GAVITO: DID I CATCH THAT CORRECT, SO OUT OF THE 686 IN THE JOB SEARCH, SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN WITH 240-SOMETHING
DAYS IN A JOB SEARCH? >> IN JOB SEARCH, THAT IS CORRECT.
>> GAVITO: SO THAT'S NOT LOOKING GOOD. >> NO.
THAT'S NOT GOOD. AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE WORKING TO TRY AND IMPROVE THAT.
MONTHS, THAT'S THE KEY. WE'VE GOT TO GET THEM CONNECTED IN EMPLOYMENT SOON IN THAT PROCESS, BECAUSE IF NOT, IT'S MORE DIFFICULT DOWN THE ROAD.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE REASONS FOR THAT? WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE BARRIERS THAT PEOPLE HAVE WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYMENT, IT TAKES A LITTLE MORE WORK TO MAKE THEM ATTRACTIVE TO EMPLOYERS. SO THAT'S THE PART OF THE DIFFICULT NATURE OF TRYING TOO MOVE PEOPLE OUT OF DEEP POVERTY INTO THE WORKING CLASS.
>> GAVITO: YEAH. AND IF YOU DON'T MIND, JUST SENDING ME THAT BREAKDOWN OF THE 686, HOW MANY HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A JOB, 240 DAYS PLUS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BECAUSE I DO THINK THAT'S -- THAT'S A HUGE STORY IN AND OF ITSELF, OF THE ONE WHOSE ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR A JOB AND THEY HAVEN'T FOUND ONE, EVEN 100 PLUS DAYS, IS A HUGE RED FLAG
FOR ALL OF US. >> IT'S A CHALLENGE THAT WE'RE ALL TRYING TO
SOLVE, ABSOLUTELY. >> GAVITO: UH-HUH. SHIFTING GEARS TO THE BUDGET ASK, ON SLIDE 31, I SEE $10 MILLION JUMP IN TUITION AND TRAINING.
CAN YOU SHED LIGHT ON THAT INCREASE? >> ABSOLUTELY.
SO WE ARE PROPOSING A $6 MILLION ALLOCATION FOR OUR INCUMBENT WORKER TRAINING, ON-THE-JOB TRAINING EFFORTS, THAT'S A BIG PIECE OF THAT INCREASE, AND WE'RE ANTICIPATING TO HAVE MODEST GROWTH IN A NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS OVERALL WITHIN THE PROGRAM, SO THAT'S GOING TO LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN TUITION DOLLARS THERE. AND WE HAVE A $2.1 MILLION ALLOCATION FOR COENROLLMENT OF ALAMO PROMISE PARTICIPANTS WITHIN READY TO WORK, SO THOSE PARTICIPANTS WHO DEMONSTRATE FINANCIAL NEED, LIVE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO THAT
>> GAVITO: THANK YOU. THAT'S HELPFUL. HOW MANY ARE PROJECTED TO BE PLACED IN JOBS OVER THE NEXT THIS CAL YEAR COMPARED TO THIS FISCAL
YEAR. >> THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION AND IT'S BASED UPON PERCENTAGES. 70% COMPLETION RATE, ON AVERAGE IT TAKES ABOUT 10 MONTHS FOR SOMEONE TO COMPLETE A TRAINING PROGRAM IN READY TO WORK. ANOTHER TWO MONTHS FOR INDIVIDUALS TO BE PLACED IN JOBS TO BE PLACED IN JOBS. SO IF YOU DO THAT MATH OUT, WE HAVE ABOUT 1,000 TO 1200 PEOPLE COMPLETE TRAINING WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR, AND THEN YOU TAKE 70% OF THAT 1,000, SO YOU'VE GOT 700 MORE PEOPLE THAT HAVE COMPLETED TRAINING AND THEN 80% OF THAT NUMBER, AND THAT'S THE B IN OF INDIVIDUALS THAT SHOULD BE PLACED IN JOBS IN FISCAL YEAR '25. WE'RE ALWAYS OPERATING ABOUT A YEAR IN ARREARS BECAUSE OF THE 10-MONTH TRAINING JOB AND ON AVERAGE THE TWO-MONTH JOB
PLACEMENT TIME. >> GAVITO: YEAH, I GET THAT, BUT IDEALLY WE WOULD SEE IF ALL THE CARDS FELL RIGHT, AROUND 1200 PLACED.
>> CORRECT, PLUS THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE ALREADY PLACED NOW, SO
WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT 2,000. >> GAVITO: THANK YOU.
ALSO DURING THE BRIEFING, I HAD ASKED YOU ALL TO SEND YOU SOME STATS.
I THINK IT'S FOUR SOMETHING PLEDGED EMPLOYERS, RIGHT.
>> 428. >> GAVITO: 428 BLEJED EMPLOYERS HAVE ACTUALLY HIRED READY TO WORK PARTICIPANTS UP TO THIS POINT.
YOU, COUNCILMEMBER ALDARETE GAVITO. COUNCILMEMBER
>> CASTILLO: THANK YOU, DR. BARAY AND MIKE FOR THE PRESENTATIONS.
WITH PRE-K 4 SA, I WANTED TO EXTEND MY GRATITUDE AND THANKS TO YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE PRE-K 4 SA TEAM FROM THE ADMINISTRATIVE FOLKS TO THE FOLKS DOING MAINTENANCE OVER AT ALL THE FACILITIES. I'M GRATEFUL TO SEE THE SHIFT FROM TEMPS TO FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES. THAT MEANS BENEFITS AND A SECURED JOB.
JUST GRATEFUL WITH THAT BUDGET REQUEST. IN CONVERSATION WE TALKED ABOUT THE INVESTMENT OF FACILITIES. I'M PLEASED TO SEE THAT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE APPROVING
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WITH THIS BUDGET IS ENSURING THAT WE'RE TAKING CARE OF WHERE OUR CHILDREN AND YOUTH ARE.ALSO PLEASED TO HEAR THE CONVERSATION COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT FOLKS WHO WORK IN FACILITIES THAT SUPPORT OUR YOUTH. LOOKING AT THE QUALITY CHILDCARE DESERT, IT'S OF COURSE -- AND WE LOOK AT ANY MAP WITH DISPARITIES, IT'S THE SAME PATTERN OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. AND WHAT I'M REMINDED AND GRATEFUL FOR ARE DISTRICT 5 RESIDENTS WHO CHALLENGE SCHOOL CLOSURES.
WE HAD FIVE ON THE LIST AND THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WE REDUCED IT TO ONE.
THAT WOULD JUST ADD TO THE DISPARITIES ON THIS MAP. BUT JUST GRATEFUL FOR YOU AND YOUR TEAM FOR FILLING THAT GAP. IN REGARDS TO THE CHILD PILOT PROGRAM, CAN YOU REMIND ME AGAIN HOW THAT WOULD OPERATE, FOLKS WOULD POTENTIALLY BE GIVEN A STIPEND.
WALK ME THROUGH THAT ONE MORE TIME. >> WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS MAKE IT EASY FOR OUR READY TO WORK PARTICIPANTS TO ACCESS CHILDCARE.
THEY WILL, EITHER THROUGH THEIR CASEWORKER OR THEMSELVES, CONTACT ONE OF OUR ENROLLMENT SPECIALISTS THROUGH PRE-K 4 SA, WHO WILL ASK THEM WHAT HOURS, LOCATION, YOUR CHILD'S AGES AND TALK WITH THEM ABOUT WHICH PROVIDERS IN THEIR AREA AND THE KIND OF SETTING.
BECAUSE SOME FAMILIES MIGHT PREFER TO HAVE A SMALLER FAMILY HOME PROVIDER OR FAITH-BASED PROVIDER OR PUBLIC PROVIDER. AND GET THEM MATCHED UP. AND ONCE THEY ARE MATCHED UP WITH A PROVIDER WHO HAS AGREED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS, THEN THE TUITION FOR THAT CHILD OR CHILDREN WILL BE PAID THROUGH THE SYSTEM WE ALREADY HAVE, THROUGH CHILDCARE SCHOLARSHIPS.
WE'LL JUST PAY THAT TUITION UP FRONT SO THE PROVIDER KNOWS THEY'RE GETTING PAID.
THE READY TO WORK PARTICIPANT KNOWS THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT AND THEIR CHILD IS WELL CARED FOR. WE'RE ONLY GOING TO WORK WITH PROVIDERS IS ELIGIBLE FOR A SCHOLARSHIP, THEY CAN JUST STAY RIGHT IN THEIR PLACE AND THE ONLY THING
THAT NEEDS TO SWITCH IS THE FUNDING. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU.
WITH THE OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT COMMUNICATIONS, I'M GRATEFUL TO HEAR THAT Y'ALL ARE GOING TO BE CONNECTING FAMILIES WHO MAY NOT QUALIFY OR IF THERE'S NOT A SLOT AVAILABLE.
IT'S A PROGRAM THAT I HEAR GREAT THINGS ABOUT FROM DISTRICT 5 RESIDENTS AND THERE HAS BEEN INSTANCES WHERE THERE'S NOT A SLOT AND JUST GRATEFUL TO HEAR THAT, ONE, THERE'S FULL SEATS AND THERE'S FOLKS LOOKING TO GET IN. JUST THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> OF COURSE. >> CASTILLO: IN REGARDS TO READY TO WORK, WITH THE TWO SLOTS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS, HAVE THOSE FOLKS ALREADY BEEN APPOINTED TO PARTICIPATE ON THE
COMMITTEE? >> OH, YES, THEY ARE. AMANDA WRIGHT, GUBELLA, AND
JERRY ARE TWO FORMER READY TO WORK PARTICIPANTS. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU.
AND RELATED TO GRADUATES TO THE PROGRAM THE ONE CITED IN THE PRESENTATION NOTED HE HAD BEEN LAID OFF. ARE YOU ALL TRACKING FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN LAID OFF AND WHO THAT
EMPLOYER WAS? >> YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT SUGGESTION AND WE'LL WORK WITH OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT TO GET SOME OF THOSE INFORMATION FROM THE NOTICES WHICH EMPLOYERS ARE LAYING OFF. WE'LL DEFINITELY BE TRACKING THAT.
>> CASTILLO: THANK YOU. I THINK THAT WILL BE VERY USEFUL DATA.
DURING OUR OPEN OFFICE HOURS WE HAD A CONSTITUENT COME IN ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT READY TO WORK AND SHE WAS ASKING WHAT WOULD BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ESSENTIALLY GOING STRAIGHT TO THE PARTNER VERSUS GOING TO THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM. I SHARED THERE'S CASE MANAGEMENT, THERE'S EMPLOYERS THAT HAVE COMMITTED TO HIRING INDIVIDUALS.
SHE WAS ASKING THIS QUESTION BECAUSE SHE'S AN OLDER ADULT LOOKING AT RETURNING TO THE WORKFORCE. CAN YOU SHARE WHAT SOME OF THOSE TRENDS OF OLDER ADULTS IN THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM, WHAT PROGRAMS THEY MAY BE PARTICIPATING IN AND WHAT
PERCENTAGE ARE OLDER ADULTS IN THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM. >> WE HAVE ABOUT 10% OF OUR PARTICIPANTS THAT ARE 50 YEARS OLD OR OLDER PARTICIPATING IN THE READY TO WORK.
AND THEY'RE CHOOSING A PLETHORA OF PROGRAMS. CUSTOMER SERVICE AND HEALTHCARE ARE TWO OF THE PRIMARY ONES WE'RE SEEING THEM MATRICULATE THROUGH.
WE'LL GET YOU MORE DATA IN A FOLLOW-UP E-MAIL. >> CASTILLO: GREAT.
I WANTED TO THANK YOU AND YOUR TEAM FOR THE DASHBOARD, JUST TO PULL DATA AND AGE BRACKETS AND DISTRICTS WAS HELPFUL . THANK Y'ALL FOR THAT. THOSE ARE ALL MY QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER CASTILLO. COUNCILMEMBER VIAGRAN.
>> VIAGRAN: THANK YOU, MAYOR. I'LL START WITH PRE-K 4 SA SARAH, THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION. I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS WORKING TO MAKE SURE WE GET THOSE PEOPLE FULL-TIME, SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. THE THING YOU MENTIONED ABOUT YEAR-ROUND, THAT'S JUST A GIVEN. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO THAT. SO IF WE COULD LOOK AT WHAT PROJECTIONS WE HAVE THERE AND HOW WE CAN LOOK FOR PARTNERSHIPS. AND THE OTHER THING THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK INTO IS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD, THERE ARE GOING TO BE THOSE POSITIONS THAT JUST DO NOT FIT INTO WHAT WE'RE ASKING IN READY TO WORK.
[01:10:05]
BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN WITHOUT THE RIGHT TRAINING, WITHOUT THE EXPERIENCE THAT IN A SHORTER TIME THEY MAY BE GOING THROUGH A READY TO WORK PROGRAM, THEY CAN MOVE UP IN SALARIES. SO I THINK ONCE WE GET ALL OUR DUCKS IN A ROW WITH EARLY CHILDHOOD OVER AT TEXAS A&M SAN ANTONIO, WE'RE GOING TO SEE THAT HAPPEN.I DON'T WANT YOU TO FORGET TEXAS A&M SAN ANTONIO. MIKE, WHEN WE TALK READY TO WORK, I KNOW SARAH, YOU HAVEN'T. BUT THEY'RE WORKING OVER THERE AND I WAS THERE FOR THE YOUNG JAGS AND WAS EXCITED TO SEE WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN TERMS OF PROVIDING CHILDCARE FOR THEIR -- AND AFTER-SCHOOL CARE.
BUT LEARNING FOR THE STUDENTS THERE AND THE STUDENTS' CHILDREN.
THE ONE NUMBER I WOULD LIKE TO GET AND MAKE SURE WE HAVE THAT IS HOW MANY GIRLS ARE ENROLLING IN THE PRE-K AT THE 3-YEAR-OLD LEVEL AND THE 4-YEAR-OLD LEVEL.
AGAIN, I THINK BASED ON THE STUDIES WE'VE HAD IS WE NEED TO FIND A SPECIFIC WAY TO ENGAGE PEOPLE TO GET THEIR LITTLE GIRLS INTO PRE-K. IF WE COULD GET THOSE NUMBERS, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT. AND THANK YOU FOR THE
PRESENTATION. >> I WILL SAY THAT HISTORICALLY AT PRE-K 4 SA, WE HAVE ABOUT 50/50. I'M HAPPY TO SHARE THOSE. WE'RE VERY INTENTIONAL WITH
THAT. >> VIAGRAN: YEAH, I THINK WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS COMPARE THEM TO HOW MANY LITTLE GIRLS WE HAVE IN THE AREA AND HOW MANY AREN'T -- LIKE WE COULD
GET THAT NUMBER A LITTLE HIGHER. >> OF COURSE.
>> VIAGRAN: THANK YOU. CAN YOU BRING UP READY TO WORK SLIDE 23? THANK YOU. I THINK I'M GOING TO FRAME THIS SLIDE, MIKE.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT. AS I TALK ABOUT THE HISTORIC RED LINING IN THE CITY AND THE DISPARITIES, THIS JUST, YOU KNOW, KIND OF STOPPED ME IN MY TRACKS IN TERMS OF WHAT WE DID. AS I LOOK IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR IT WAS BECAUSE A LOT OF THE SOUTHSIDE WASN'T SAN ANTONIO PROPER, IT WAS HARLANDALE WITH SMALL CITIES SO THEY DECIDED TO RED LINE A LOT OF THAT AND A LOT OF THE WEST SIDE TOO. I THINK THE WEST SIDE AND THE SOUTHSIDE GET INTO A COMPETITION OF WHO GOT RED LINED MORE. [LAUGHTER] BUT THIS IS VERY TELLING SO I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT. I THINK THE ONE THING IN TERMS OF THE PERCENTAGES WITH THE 52% IN SIX MONTHS AND THEN THE 80% IN 12 MONTHS, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE DID TAKE THAT TO THE VOTERS, I THINK WE ALL KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO BE A PROCESS AND WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO FLOW WITH THAT BECAUSE THE MAYOR HAD PUT FORWARD SOMETHING THAT HADN'T BEEN DONE BEFORE AND THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO ISN'T IN THE BUSINESS OF JOB TRAINING. AGAIN, I'LL TELL THE STORY.
WE PASSED ON BRINGING WHAT THEY HAVE IN DALLAS HERE WITH THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY BACK IN THE DAY. SO NOW WE'RE HERE AND WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD THAT WORKFORCE. WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH READY TO WORK IS WE'RE NOT CHOOSING JUST ONE INDUSTRY, LIKE THEY DID IN DALLAS WITH AIRLINE. EVERYBODY WORKED FOR THAT.
WE HAVE THE BASES. WE STUCK WITH THE BASES AND NOW WE'RE TRYING TO DIVERSIFY INTO WHAT OUR BIG INDUSTRIES ARE HERE. AND IT'S GOING TO BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT. AGAIN, LIKE I MENTIONED WHEN SARAH WAS UP HERE, THERE ARE SOME JOBS THAT AREN'T GOING TO PAY WHAT WE ASK AT READY TO WORK BUT IF YOU PUT IN THE WORK AND HAVE THE WORK ETHIC, YOU CAN MOVE. I THINK ABOUT MY FATHER WHO WORKED FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND WHEN HE CAME IN, HE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF COLLEGE. AND HE WAS A VETERAN. AND WITH HIS WORK AND DEDICATION, AFTER THE YEARS, YOU KNOW, HE ROSE INTO A SUPERVISOR POSITION.
SO THAT STILL HAPPENS IN SOME INDUSTRIES AND WE NEED TO IDENTIFY THOSE INDUSTRIES.
THE OTHER THING ABOUT THAT 52% AND 80% IS IN TERMS OF THE SUCCESS STORIES, I THINK PART OF THE CHALLENGE IS THE COUNCIL MEMBERS NEED TO TALK TO THE RESIDENTS AND NEED TO KNOW HOW TO RECRUIT THEM TO THIS PROGRAM, IF NECESSARY. BUT ALSO ONCE THEY'RE IN, TO HEAR THEM AND THE STORIES I'VE HEARD, YOU KNOW, ONE CAME TO ME AND SHARED, AND I SAID APPLY AT THE CITY. NOW HE WORKS FOR YOU. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE HAD HIM APPLY AND HE TALKED TO A COUPLE OF DEPARTMENTS HERE BUT PART OF IT WAS LIKE WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? SITTING DOWN WITH HIS COUNCILMEMBER AND KIND OF COUNSELING ON THAT. THE OTHER IS I HAD A WOMAN COME UP TO ME AND GIVE ME IDEAS AND SAID I'M IN THE PROGRAM. I JUST HAVEN'T COMPLETED MY DEGREE. IS THERE ANY WAY WE CAN LET THE EMPLOYERS KNOW SHE
[01:15:05]
DOESN'T HAVE THE DEGREE YET SO SHE DOESN'T MEET IT BUT SHE'S THIS FAR AWAY FROM IT.AND SHE'S GOING TO COMPLETE IT. SO I THINK IF THEY HAVE THE READY TO WORK GUARANTEE IN TERMS OF THIS PERSON WILL FINISH THEIR DEGREE PROGRAM, WE MIGHT SEE MORE SUCCESS TOO. AND THE OTHER IS WE HAVE PEOPLE GOING THROUGH THAT PROGRAM, IN TERMS OF THE 500, I HEARD THIS STORY WHERE THEY WANT TO WORK REMOTELY. THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY WHAT -- THOSE JOBS ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN. HOW DO YOU TELL SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN THROUGH THE PROGRAM, FORGET YOUR DREAM, WE NEED THE NUMBERS. YOU HAD THEM DO THIS SO IT'S LIKE I THINK IT JUST TAKES CONVERSATION. AND IF THEY SIT IN FRONT OF ME I'M GOING TO TELL THEM WORKING REMOTELY WILL COME ONE DAY BUT YOU FIRST HAVE TO SAY YES INITIALLY. BUT WE JUST CAME OUT OF THE PANDEMIC AND A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE THAT EXPECTATION STILL. SO I THINK THESE ARE OTHER QUESTIONS WE NEED TO ASK IS -- BECAUSE I DON'T WANT SOMEONE TO GO THROUGH THE PROGRAM AND WE PRESSURE THEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE THEIR DREAM JOB AND THEY'RE NOT READY TO GIVE IT UP.
AND WE TELL THEM YOU HAVE TO BECAUSE WE NEED TO PUSH UP THE NUMBERS.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO -- I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE THAT CAVEAT THAT THEY'VE BEEN OFFERED A JOB BUT THEY'RE WAITING FOR SOMETHING BETTER OR THEY'RE WAITING FOR SOMETHING THAT FITS MORE WITH THEIR LIFESTYLE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S HOW WE ADJUST AND THAT'S HOW WE TALK TO EMPLOYERS ALSO.
THOSE ARE JUST SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I SEE. I THINK WE WILL GET TO THAT SUCCESS POINT. I THINK IT'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO TAKE A COMMUNITY EFFORT AND I THINK WE NEED TO GO BACK TO OUR PARTNERS, SEE WHO'S BEING SUCCESSFUL IN THAT PLACEMENT, SEE WHO NEEDS SOME HELP, AND MAKE SURE THEY GET ON A PLAN.
I APPRECIATE GETTING THE NEW STAFF AND HAVING THE CITY KIND OF OVERSEE THAT A LOT.
I JUST -- BUT NOT A LOT MORE, I SHOULD SAY. I WANT THE CITY TO BE THERE TO HOLD ACCOUNTABLE BUT I DO WANT TO TRUST THE AGENCIES TO TALK TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING THROUGH, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT PERSON IS. IF IT'S SOMEBODY WHO WANTS A DREAM JOB AND THEN YOU TELL THEM YOU HAVE TO TAKE THAT, PSYCHOLOGICALLY THAT DOES SOMETHING ELSE TO THEM. I THINK WE NEED TO TRUST IN THOSE -- IN SOME OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE BEING SUCCESSFUL BUT ALSO KIND OF LOOK AT THE APPROACH OF WHAT ARE WE DOING AND DO WE NEED TO BRING ANOTHER GROUP IN TO KIND OF STEP IN AND SAY TELECOMMUTING IS GREAT BUT TELECOMMUTING MEANS YOU'RE WORKING ALL THE TIME IF YOU'RE WORKING FROM HOME. I WANT TO THANK THE PARTNERS WHO ARE HERE AND I WANT TO GIVE PROPS TO DELIA WITH THE LABOR. I JUST HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU, DELIA. ARE WE GOING TO SEE, AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, SOME CHANGES SO THAT MAYBE WE CAN LOOK AT THOSE INDUSTRIES THAT KIND OF MAYBE START AT THE $15 OR $16 LEVEL BUT GET IN SIX MONTHS OR A YEAR THEY COULD BE, LIKE, A MANAGER OR SOMETHING?
DO WE HAVE A PLAN FOR THAT? >> WELL, AND FIRST THANK YOU, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. SO THE LONG ANSWER AND SHORT ANSWER IS YES AND THAT'S WHAT WE ARE PROUD PARTNERS WITH THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM. BECAUSE WE ARE BRINGING RESOURCES FROM ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY. THE GOOD NEWS -- AND WHAT YOU ALL SHOULD KNOW AND UNDERSTAND -- YOU ALL ARE SETTING THAT EXAMPLE AND WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD AND LEARN FROM YOU AND COPY SOME OF WHAT Y'ALL ARE DOING, BEST PRACTICES. TIN THE OTHER CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS ONLY ONE OF 16 CITIES WHO WAS CHOSEN IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY WITH THE GOOD JOBS GREAT CITIES ACADEMY. WITH THAT, YOU ARE THIS PILLAR ALREADY AND NOW YOU ARE BEING ABLE TO RECEIVE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FROM MYSELF, THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, AND OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.
THIS IS MONUMENTAL OPPORTUNITY AND ONCE IN A GENERATION, LIFETIME KIND OF OPPORTUNITY. YOU WILL BE GETTING THAT AND WE ARE YOUR PARTNERS TO STAND
WITH Y'ALL. >> VIAGRAN: THANK YOU. I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE BEHIND THAT SAN ANTONIO IS STILL LOOKED AT AS AN AFFORDABLE CITY BUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SAN ANTONIO BEING AN AFFORDABLE CITY, THAT MEANS WE HAVE SOME LOWER WAGES IN SOME INDUSTRIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THOSE
ENCOURAGING WORDS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER VIAGRAN. THANK YOU, DELIA. COUNCILMEMBER
MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: THANK YOU, MAYOR.
I'LL START OFF WITH PRE-K 4 SA. MY TEAM AND I -- I'LL SPEAK TO MYSELF. I SPENT A LOT OF TIME STAYING LATE UP AT NIGHT THINKING HOW CAN WE SOLVE SOME OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS AND WHAT IS THE ROLE FOR MUNICIPAL
[01:20:04]
GOVERNMENT AND CITY COUNCIL. THE REALITY IS WE CAN'T ADDRESS ALL OF SOCIETY'S ISSUES AND ALL THE FLAWS BUT WE CAN PROVIDE FOR THE HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT OF OUR CHILDREN. I'M GRATEFUL THAT'S SOMETHING THAT PRE-K 4 SA ALLOWS US TO DO, TO MAKE AN INVESTMENT IN OUR CHILDREN AND OUR COLLECTIVE FUTURES.IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE 3 AND 4-YEAR-OLDS WHO DEVELOP INTO HEALTHY YOUNG PEOPLE AND WHO ARE AND FEEL WELL SUPPORTED. THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO.
THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT TAKES PLACE ON THESE CAMPUSES.
I WANT TO MAKE A NOTE THAT FUN FACT, THE CITY DEPARTMENT WITH THE MOST AFSCME NUMBERS IS PRE-K 4 SA. AND I'M WONDERING WHAT OPPORTUNITIES DO EMPLOYEES HAVE TO GIVE THEIR INPUT ON THE PROGRAM, CURRICULUM, ET CETERA, AND ARE THEY INVITED
TO SHARE THEIR INPUT? >> ON EACH CAMPUS WE HAVE THE HEADS OF SCHOOL MEET WITH THE FACULTY ON A REGULAR BASIS AND WITH THE TEAMS TO GET THEIR INPUT.
ON THE BUDGET, SPECIFICALLY, WE DON'T HAVE THAT MANY DAYS WHEN THE TEACHERS AREN'T ENGAGED WITH CHILDREN, SO THE DAY BEFORE THEY GOT OUT FOR WINTER BREAK, WE SPENT TIME TALKING ABOUT OUR EMPLOYMENT ENGAGEMENT SURVEY BUT OUR BUDGET AND WHAT THE PRIORITIES ARE. ALL OF THE STAFF -- THAT WAS ACROSS THE BOARD WITH OPERATIONS, WITH NUTRITION. EVERYBODY GOT TO SAY, HAVE INPUT ON WHAT IT IS THAT THEY WANT OR WHAT THEY THINK WE SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON AND HOW WE CAN BEST WORK TOWARDS OUR STRATEGIC GOAL. WE ALSO HAVE, ON OUR INSTRUCTIONAL SIDE, WE HAVE A TEACHER GROUP THAT I MEET WITH AND THE DEPUTY CEO MEETS WITH MONTHLY AND THEY HELP US SOLVE ALL KINDS OF PROBLEMS AND GET INPUT. SO THERE'S A PEER GROUP THAT IS, YOU KNOW, BRINGING ISSUES FORWARD, THINGS THAT THEY WANT TO TALK ABOUT, THINGS TO HELP WITH AND PLANNING FOR OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING THAT HAPPENS.
PARTICULARLY WE HAVE A HUGE FOR TEACHERS BY TEACHERS CONFERENCE CALLED IGNITE IN JUNE. IT'S ALL ABOUT WHAT OUR INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF THINK THEY NEED. THE REST OF US PUT IT IN PLACE SO THEY CAN HAVE TWO DAYS OF HIGH-QUALITY PROFESSIONAL LEARNING THAT MEETS THEIR NEEDS AND MEETS THE RANGE OF NEEDS. WE HAVE TEACHERS WHO ARE BRAND NEW AND TEACHERS WHO ARE VERY EXPERIENCED AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ATTENDING TO THOSE.
>> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: I WOULD LOVE TO CHAT MORE OFFLINE. >> YOU CAN COME.
IT'S ALWAYS A GREAT EVENT. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: FOR SURE.
I DO HAVE A NUMBERS QUESTION ON SLIDE 19. I'M READING SOMETHING DIFFERENT, I THINK. THIS IS THE ADOPTED FISCAL YEAR 2024 TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS, $58 MILLION. CAN WE GO TO SLIDE 18 NOW. FOR EXPENDITURES IT'S SAYING FOR FISCAL YEAR '24, WE'RE AT $69.2 MILLION IN EXPENDITURES.
ARE WE OVER BUDGET OR WHAT IS GOING ON THERE? >> THAT'S A REESTIMATE.
THAT CHANGE IS BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE INVESTMENT WE PUT INTO THE NEW BUILDING IN 2025. WE HAVE HAD SOME EXPENDITURES.
SO THIS IS ON THE REESTIMATE AS OF, I BELIEVE, APRIL 1ST.
YES, APRIL 1ST. >> WHEN DID THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDING COME FROM?
WAS IT -- >> FROM OUR FUND BALANCE. WE ALWAYS CARRY A FUND BALANCE THAT ALLOWS US FLEXIBILITY WHEN WE NEED TO CHANGE THAT.
OF COURSE WE SHARE THIS WITH THE BOARD AND UNDER THE BOARD'S GUIDANCE WE MOVE
FORWARD WITH THOSE CHANGES. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: OKAY. THANK YOU.
I'M INTRIGUED BY BEGINNING AND EB END BALANCES. I'M INTRIGUED BY THAT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'M READY FOR READY TO WORK. I WANT TO CELEBRATE THE FACT THAT WE ARE REACHING THOSE -- WHAT IS IT, SLIDE 29? YES.
THAT WE'RE REACHING THOSE MOST IN NEED AND THEY'RE SEEING REMARKABLE CHANGES IN THEIR HOUSEHOLD INCOME. AS THE MAYOR HIGHLIGHTED, THAT'S FANTASTIC AND THAT DOES DESERVE CELEBRATION. OF COURSE MY ROLE IS ALWAYS TO FIGHT FOR MORE AND FOR BETTER SO THAT T BEING SAID, YOU KNOW, MORTGAGE AND RENTAL PRICES -- IT WAS TOWARDS THE END. IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN 35? NO.
WHERE IS THE SLIDE WITH THE SALARIES? THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET AT. THE AVERAGE AND MEAN. OR THE MEAN HOURLY WAGE.
>> CAN WE GO TO 28? I ONLY HAVE A BRIEF POINT SO I GUESS I CAN FIDDLE AROUND WITH THE PRESENTATION. MORTGAGE AND RENTAL PRICES HAVE CONTINUED TO SKYROCKET WHILE WAGES STAGNATE. AND THE MEAN HOURLY WAGE IS $20.71.
[01:25:05]
OR MEAN ANNUAL SALARY OF $44,023. PER THE OUT OF REACH REPORT, ONE WOULD NEED TO MAKE $51,280 TO AFFORD AN APARTMENT.I WOULD LIKE TO STRESS THAT THE EXPECTATION FOR THIS PROGRAM AND FROM OUR PARTNERS IS THAT PARTICIPANTS ARE NOT IN A PLACE WHERE THEY'RE STRUGGLING TO AFFORD HOUSING WHILE SUPPORTING THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES. WHILE RECOGNIZING THAT PEOPLE ARE MAKING THESE HUGE JUMPS FROM 15K TO 44K AND ABOVE. WE STILL WANT TO STRIVE FOR A HIGHER MEAN AND MINIMUM WAGE, HONESTLY. WE NEED THE MINIMUM TO BE LIVABLE AND RIGHT NOW I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT IS. I DO WANT TO -- ON SLIDE 27.
I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SOMETHING BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING AT NUMBERS THAT I AM THINKING DIFFERENTLY ABOUT. SO LOOKING AT 71% EXITING THE TRAINING SUCCESSFULLY, 52% OF THE 71% ARE PLACED IN QUALITY JOBS. IS THAT ACCURATE?
>> THAT IS ACCURATE. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: SO THEN THAT'S ABOUT 36.9% PLACED WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF TOTAL PEOPLE WHO ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAM.
AND 56.8% WHO ARE PLACED WITHIN 12 MONTHS, TOTAL OF THOSE WHO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM. SO THAT'S NUMBERS THAT I'M NOT HAPPY ABOUT.
I THINK THAT'S THE NUMBERS THAT -- I UNDERSTAND WHY WE DON'T USE THOSE NUMBERS.
I AM GOING TO TAKE AT FACE VALUE AND I'M GOING TO THINK OPTIMISTICALLY ABOUT WHAT WE'RE BEING TOLD TODAY THAT THE STEPS THAT WE'RE TAKING ARE GOING TO GET US THE NUMBERS THAT WE'RE EXPECTING. BUT WE ARE TALKING NOW ABOUT IT FEELS LIKE EVERY TIME WE RECEIVE THE PRESENTATION, OH, IT'S JUST GETTING STARTED. AND I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG WE
CAN DO THAT. >> UNDERSTOOD. AND YOUR MATH IS CORRECT.
BUT I HAVE TO REEMPHASIZE THAT IT IS AN EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAM LEADING TO EMPLOYMENT SO THEY HAVE TO COMPLETE SUCCESSFULLY THEIR EDUCATION AND TRAINING.
THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN AT 100% RATE IN ANY PROGRAM. HARVARD DOESN'T HAVE A 100% COMPLETION RATE OF TRAINING. IT'S GOING TO BE A SUBSET OF PEOPLE THAT LIFE IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT THROUGH. AND WE HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR THAT IN OUR GOALS, WHICH IS WHY THAT 70% TARGET IS THERE FOR SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING
TRAINING. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: I UNDERSTAND AND THAT'S WHY WE PROBABLY WANT THE SUCCESSFULLY-COMPLETED TRAINING TO BE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN THE 70, 71%. WE PROBABLY WANT IT TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER ESPECIALLY IF WE'RE NOT MEETING OUR TARGETS FOR THOSE PLACED IN SIX MONTHS AND PLACED IN 12 MONTHS. I IMAGINE YOU DO A SURVEY OR SOMETHING FOR THOSE WHO DID NOT EXIT THE TRAINING SUCCESSFULLY. WHAT ARE THE REASONS?
WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? >> YEAH. WE STARTED THOSE SURVEYS.
WE GET A LOW RESPONSE RATE FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO, FOR WHATEVER REASON, STOP THEIR TRAINING PROGRAM. WE HAD ABOUT 29 PARTICIPANTS RESPOND BACK AND WE CAN SHARE THOSE SURVEY RESULTS WITH YOU OUT OF ROUGHLY 400 PEOPLE THAT WE SURVEYED.
IT WAS A VERY LOW RESPONSE RATE BUT WE'LL SHARE THAT WITH YOUR OFFICE.
>> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: IF I DROP OUT OF A PROGRAM, I'M PROBABLY NOT SUBMITTING A
>> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: BUT IF SOMEBODY TEXTED ME AND CALLED WHERE DID YOU GO, I WOULD GIVE YOU AN ANSWER. YOU CAN MAKE THAT MEAN WHATEVER YOU NEED IT TO MEAN DATA-WISE. I THINK THERE'S ANOTHER WAY TO COLLECT DATA THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A SURVEY SO EVEN IF WE AREN'T ABLE TO GET THOSE RESPONSES, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT USED AS A TOOL FOR US TO GET PEOPLE TO COMPLETE THE TRAINING
SUCCESSFULLY OR TARGET A DIFFERENT KIND OF RECRUIT. >> GREAT SUGGESTION.
>> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ.
COUNCILMEMBER KAUR. >> KAUR: THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. DR. BARAY I'LL START WITH YOU.
IT HAS BEEN A PLEASURE TO GET TO WORK WITH YOU ALL AT THE GARDENDALE CAMPUS AND SEE THAT GROW. I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE CITY THAT WE TALKED ABOUT WITH UTSA THAT SHOWED THAT PRE-K 4 SA HAS SIGNIFICANT ACADEMIC OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS WHEN YOU WATCH THE TRAJECTORY FOR THOSE GOING THROUGH PRE-K 4 SA VERSUS NO PRE-K AT ALL. I WANT TO GIVE YOU THE ACCOLADE BUT SAY THE ONE THING I KNOW THAT'S MOST IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW IS THAT STUDENTS ARE COMING TO SCHOOL. THEIR ATTENTION RATES ARE MUCH HIGHER, WHICH IS A HUGE CHALLENGE THAT A LOT OF OUR SCHOOLS ARE FACING ACROSS THE CITY.
I WANTED TO SHARE THAT BUT ALSO HAD JUST A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
ONE, YOU MENTIONED WE'RE REDOING THE STUDY AGAIN NEXT YEAR.
ARE WE GOING TO INCLUDE THE SCHOOLS THAT YOU HAVE BEEN SUPPORTING AND PARTNERING
[01:30:03]
WITH IN THAT STUDY. >> YES. SO WE ACTUALLY COLLECT DATA FROM GARDENDALE AND HAVE AN INDEPENDENT STUDY ON GARDENDALE STUDENTS.
IN FACT, WE STARTED GARDENDALE IN FALL OF 2019, RIGHT BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.
SO WE'VE BEEN COLLECTING THAT DATA TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE CHILDREN.
YES, WE WILL CONTINUE TO INCLUDE THEM IN THAT. WE'LL ALSO DO THE ROI STUDY
AS WELL. >> GREAT. CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE DATA ON THAT. THE SECOND QUESTION IS WE HAVE BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT TEACHER HOUSING AND WORKFORCE HOUSING IN GENERAL. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE FOR THE TEACHERS OVER AT PRE-K 4 SA TOO?
>> IT IS, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR -- NOT OUR CERTIFIED TEACHERS BUT OUR TEACHER AIDES, ASSISTANT, AND ASSOCIATE TEACHERS. AS WE'RE HELPING TEACHERS MOVE UP THE CAREER TRAJECTORY, AS COUNCILWOMAN VIAGRAN WAS TALKING ABOUT MOVING FROM A TEACHER AIDE TO AN ASSOCIATE TEACHER TO A FULL-TIME TEACHER, ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE TALKED ABOUT IS HOUSING AND JUST A QUICK STORY WE HAVE TWO TEACHER AIDES LIVING WITH THEIR FAMILIES. THROUGH CONVERSATION THEY DECIDED THEY WERE GOING TO GET THEIR FIRST APARTMENT TOGETHER.
OUR TEAM HELPED THEM THINK ABOUT, WHERE YOU GOING TO DO THAT? HOW ARE YOU GOING TO DO THAT? THEY UNDERSTOOD THEY NEEDED TO HAVE ROOMMATES IN ORDER TO DO THAT. ANYTHING THAT CAN HELP WITH HOUSING AFFORDABILITY OF COURSE WOULD BE VERY WELCOME, NOT JUST FOR OUR EMPLOYEES BUT OUR FAMILIES.
OUR FAMILY TEAM SPENDS A LOT OF TIME WORKING WITH OUR FAMILIES TO HELP THEM GET
STABLE HOUSING THAT'S AFFORDABLE. >> KAUR: THANK YOU FOR THAT. THE LAST QUESTION I HAD IS THE VOUCHERS WITH THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM. ARE MOST OF THE EARLY CHILDCARE CENTERS ACCEPTING THEM OR ARE YOU HAVING CHALLENGES WITH FOLKS TAKING THOSE VOUCHERS?
>> WE HAVEN'T STARTED YET BUT OUR PARTNERS IN THE SAN ANTONIO SHARED SERVICE ALLIANCE ARE EXCITED ABOUT IT. WHAT THEY WANT TO KNOW IS THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME CONSISTENCY. IT'S NOT GOING TO BE SOMEBODY WHO COMES FROM ONE MONTH -- AND THEY'RE GOING TO GET PAID.
THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF WHY WE WANT TO DO IT THROUGH EXISTING SYSTEMS THAT HELP THE PROVIDES COUNT ON THAT REVENUE AND ALSO HELP THE READY TO WORK PARTICIPANTS NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT COMING UP WITH THE MONTHLY PAYMENTS.
>> KAUR: THAT'S GREAT. IS IT GOING TO BE TIED TO COMPLETION OF TRAINING OR
ANYTHING LIKE THAT? >> WHAT OUR HOPE IS -- AND WE'RE STILL WORKING OUT THE DETAILS. WE WANT TO VISIT WITH SOME PROVIDERS AND EMPLOYERS.
I WOULD PROPOSE WE SUPPORT THIS BEYOND EVEN WHEN PEOPLE GET THEIR FIRST JOB SO THAT THEY HAVE THAT STABILITY UNTIL THEY GET TRANSITIONED INTO CHILDCARE SCHOLARSHIPS OR HOPEFULLY THEY'RE GETTING A JOB WHERE THEY CAN ACTUALLY AFFORD TO PAY FOR THE
CHILDCARE ITSELF. >> KAUR: I LOVE THAT. THE LAST THING I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT WAS YOU GUYS HAVE PIVOTED AND THOUGHT ABOUT STRATEGY AND CONTINUED TO EVOLVE. I KNOW I ALWAYS TELL YOU THIS, WE NEED TO HAVE PRE-K CENTERS EVERYWHERE. BUT YOU GUYS ARE THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU CAN GROW YOUR IMPACT AND PIVOTING. WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU, DR. BARAY, AND I WOULD LIKE TO START TALKING ABOUT READY TO WORK. I WANTED TO ECHO KIND OF WHAT THE MAYOR SAID AND MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES HAVE ALREADY SAID THAT THIS WORK IS REALLY IMPORTANT. NONE OF US UP HERE ARE SAYING WE DON'T BELIEVE IN THIS WORK. THE VOTERS SAID THEY BELIEVE IN THIS WORK, WHICH SHOWS YOU HOW COMPASSIONATE OF A CITY WE HAVE. I THINK THE QUESTIONS WE'RE BRINGING UP ARE COMING FROM COMMUNITY CONCERNS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THE WORK.
BECAUSE WE SET SUCH AMBITIOUS GOALS FOR THIS PROGRAM AND SO I'M SO GLAD THAT PEOPLE AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE TALKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE PEOPLE DO TALK ABOUT PRE-K 4 SA. ANYWHERE YOU GO IN THE EDUCATION SPACE THAT IS HIGHLIGHTED. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT SAME ACCOLADE COME TO THIS PROGRAM TOO. WE HEARD IT A LOT ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL JUST RECENTLY BECAUSE IT WAS NEW AND WE'RE STILL LEARNING. WE'RE NOT ON THE DAIS YET SO WE CAN BE A LITTLE BIT MORE UNFILTERED. BUT THE THREE MAIN THINGS THAT I HEARD IN THE COMMUNITY WERE MISALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE JOBS THAT WERE OUT -- I THINK THE PHRASE YOU SAID WAS THE SKILLED-BASED NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THE PROGRAM. I'M CURIOUS WHAT THAT MEANS. WE HEARD THAT THE OUTREACH -- THERE'S A CHALLENGE WITH OUTREACH AND HOW WE'RE ACTUALLY GETTING TO PEOPLE.
AND THE THIRD WAS CHALLENGE WITH CASE MANAGEMENT. BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY ENTITIES PROVIDING CASE MANAGEMENT, HOW ARE WE MAKING SURE THAT THAT'S ALIGNED ACROSS ORGANIZATIONS. THOSE ARE THE THREE THINGS I KIND OF WANT TO DIG IN ON.
TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT FIRST THE CONCEPT THAT THERE MIGHT BE MISALIGNMENT BETWEEN JOBS AND WHAT FOLKS WANT OR ARE SKILLED TO DO. I KNOW YOU SHOWED THAT CHART OF THE FOUR INDUSTRIES THAT SAID IT WAS ALIGNED BUT WHAT DID WE DO AROUND -- HOW DO WE
KNOW THAT THAT'S TRUE? >> WE ALIGNED OUR TARGET INDUSTRIES WITH OUR LOCAL WORKFORCE BOARD'S LOCAL PLAN. IT'S AN ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM WORKING TOGETHER TO TRY TO SOLVE SYSTEMIC ISSUES. OUR LOCAL PLAN THAT'S APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL, APPROVED BY THE BEXAR COUNTY JUDGES AND THE RURAL-AREA JUDGES, TAKE INTO ACCOUNT
[01:35:01]
WHICH INDUSTRIES HERE ARE GROWING, WHICH ONES HAVE JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE.WE THAT HAVE HIGH GROWTH THAT ARE ALIGNED TO OUR LOCAL PLAN.
AND SAID HERE ARE THE 83 JOBS THAT MEET OUR INCOME THRESHOLDS, MEET OUR GROWTH THRESHOLDS AND HAVE ENOUGH VOLUME OF JOBS TO SUPPORT THE NUMBERS WE'RE TRYING TO PULL THROUGH READY TO WORK. THAT'S WHERE THAT WORK CAME FROM AND IT WAS THE WORK OF THE ADVISORY BOARD APPOINTED BY COUNCIL TO FRAME WHAT THOSE 83 OCCUPATIONS WOULD
BE. >> KAUR: DID WE DO ANYTHING ON THE REVERSE SIDE LIKE UNDERSTANDING INTEREST ABOUT FOLKS WHO WANT TO BE A PART OF THE PROGRAM?
>> THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THOSE TWO FORMER WORKFORCE PARTICIPANTS ON THE BOARD.
WE HAVE A MARKETING AND OUTREACH SUBCOMMITTEE WHERE WE GLEAN VOICES FROM OTHER COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE SERVING PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY TO HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE. THEY'RE TELLING US WHAT THEY WANT TO DO BY THE TRAINING PROGRAMS THEY'RE SIGNING UP FOR.
AS THEY WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS TO DECIDE AM I GOING TO GO INTO HEALTHCARE, CONSTRUCTION, MANUFACTURING, THEY'RE SELF-IDENTIFYING WHICH CAREER PATHWAYS THAT
THEY'RE MOST INTERESTED IN. >> KAUR: DO YOU HAVE A PLAN FOR PIVOTING, BASED ON WHAT PEOPLE ARE SELECTING, VERSUS X INDUSTRIES ARE HIGHER IN DEMAND?
>> ABSOLUTELY. THOUGHTFULLY FOR US BY FAR AND LARGE THEY'RE CHOOSING HEALTHCARE ALMOST TWICE AS OFTEN AS ANY OTHER SECTOR. THERE'S A HUGE DEMAND AND NEED FOR HEALTHCARE TODAY AND THERE WILL BE IN THE FUTURE. AND THERE WAS 30 YEARS AGO WHEN PROJECT QUEST GOT STARTED DOING THEIR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT WORK IN THE CITY.
YOU CAN ENTER AS A CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT AND WORK YOU WAY UP TO A REGISTERED NURSE. THERE'S PLENTY OF ENTRY-LEVEL OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU DON'T HAVE EXPERIENCE. YOU'RE COMING IN FRESH.
AS WE SEE TRENDS, SUCH AS CONSTRUCTION, SUCH AS ADVANCED MANUFACTURING WHERE WE ARE UNDERENROLLED RIGHT NOW, BASED UPON THE NUMBER OF JOBS.
WE KNOW COMPANIES LIKE JCB ARE BRINGING 1500 JOBS TO THE COMMUNITY IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
WE HAVE TO GET PEOPLE INTERESTED. WE HAD OUR CASE MANAGERS GO OUT TO THE TOYOTA PLANT TO LEARN ABOUT THEIR HIRING PROCESS, UNDERSTANDING THE SKILLS REQUIRED TO FULFILL THOSE JOBS SO THEY CAN TELL CLIENTS ON THE FRONT END YOU MAY NOT BE INTERESTED IN THIS TODAY BUT LET ME TELL YOU WHAT'S AVAILABLE.
WE'RE TRYING TO SPARK THAT INTEREST IN PARTICIPANTS AS WELL.
>> KAUR: TALKING ABOUT OUTREACH. HOW ARE WE MEASURING THE ROI
ON THE OUTREACH DOLLARS THAT WE ARE SPENDING? >> THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION. OUR MARKETING FIRM, CREATIVE NOGGIN, THEY MEASURE CLICK RATES ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA ADS AND WE OUTPERFORM THE NORMS. I HAVE TO SEND YOU THAT IN AN E-MAIL BECAUSE I'M NOT AN EXPERT ON THOSE NUMBER BUT WE DEFINITELY KEEP UP WITH THAT AND KEEP TRACK OF IT. IT'S ONE OF THE PRIMARY WAYS THAT WE ATTRACT PARTICIPANTS THROUGH THE PROGRAM IS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA. WE RUN SOME RADIO ADS.
WE DO A LOT OF GRASSROOTS EFFORTS. WE DO DOOR HANGERS INTO OUR FIVE MOST NEEDY ZIP CODES. WE'RE AT COMMUNITY EVENTS, FIESTA EVENTS, WE TRY TO BE AS VISIBLE IN THE COMMUNITY AS WE CAN. THEY DO GEO-FENCING ON CELL PHONES. AND THEN OUR PARTNERS. ONE OF THE BIGGEST WAYS THAT WE GET PARTICIPANTS INTO THE PROGRAM IS WALKING INTO AN AMERICAN JOB CENTER, HEARING ABOUT PROJECT QUEST AND GOING IN, BEING AT ALAMO COLLEGES AND HEARING ABOUT ANOTHER AVENUE TO GET YOUR EDUCATION PAID FOR. OUR PARTNERS HAVE LOTS OF WALK-IN SUPPORT AND VISUAL ADVERTISING THAT ATTRACT PEOPLE AS WELL.
>> KAUR: I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT THE OUTREACH EFFORTS AND THE ROI IMPORTANT VERSUS JUST SEEING AN AD ON SOCIAL. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE DIFFERENT MEASURES AND HOW WE'RE CHANGING OUR STRATEGY AROUND THAT.
THE LAST THING I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT WAS CASE MANAGEMENT.
SO HOW ARE YOU ALL -- I LIKE THE EXAMPLE OF GOING OUT TO TOYOTA BUT CASE MANAGEMENT IS REALLY DIFFICULT. WHAT IS YOU ALL DOING TO PROVIDE SUPPORTS AROUND THE
CASE MANAGEMENT WORK? >> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID, THROUGH SOME PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS THROUGH BLUE MERIDIAN, WE FUND JOBS FOR THE FUTURE IN ORDER TO HELP SUPPORT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO THOSE CASE MANGERS.
WE HAVE ESTABLISHED A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE AND THEY GLEAN BEST PRACTICES FROM ACROSS THE NATION AS WELL AS EACH OTHER. THEY HAVE BEEN DOING GREAT WORK IN THIS COMMUNITY AND WE'RE GOING TO LEVERAGE THAT ONE-ON-ONE COACHING THAT PROJECT QUEST DOES AND MAKE SURE WE CAN SPREAD THE SECRET SAUCE.
>> KAUR: THANK YOU, MAYOR. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER KAUR.
COUNCILMEMBER WHYTE. >> WHYTE: THANKS, MAYOR. ON PRE-K 4 SA, SOME QUESTIONS. THE DATA WE HAVE IS 2020-2019 DATA.
[01:40:03]
ARE WE GOING TO GET UPDATED INFORMATION? >> WE'RE REPLICATING THOSE NEXT YEAR. THOSE ARE COMPREHENSIVE STUDIES.
WE DO A PROGRAM EVALUATION EVERY YEAR BUT THOSE TWO STUDIES ON OUTCOMES AND ROI, WE DON'T DO THEM EVERY YEAR BECAUSE THEY'RE EXPENSIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE.
BUT WE ARE REPEATING IT NEXT YEAR. >> WHYTE: AND THERE WERE
SOME QUARTERLY REPORTS BEING DONE. >> WE HAVE MOVED TO ANNUAL
REPORTS SO YOU'LL BE GETTING ONE OF THOSE THIS SUMMER. >> WHYTE: GREAT.
THE $57 MILLION IN ROI THAT WAS ON ONE OF THE SLIDES EARLIER, WHAT GOES INTO THAT
NUMBER? >> SO THAT WAS A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY DONE BY TEACHER'S COLLEGE AND THEY USE WHAT THEY CALL THE INGREDIENTS METHOD, WHICH IS A PARTICULAR METHOD OF MEASURING ROI THAT LOOKS AT THINGS LIKE WHEN CHILDREN HAVE BETTER ATTENDANCE OR WHEN THEY HAVE BETTER READING SCORES, THEN THEY NEED LESS REMEDIAL SERVICES, WHICH THEN SAVES MONEY. ALSO IT LOOKED AT THE INCREASE IN FAMILY INCOME, BECAUSE FAMILIES HAD ACCESS TO AFTER SCHOOL CARE.
ON AVERAGE OUR FAMILIES MADE $15,000 A YEAR MORE BECAUSE THEY HAD ACCESS TO THAT CARE.
SO THEY'RE LOOKING AT THOSE KINDS OF DATA AND THEN DETERMINING HOW THAT COMPARES
TO THE COST. >> WHYTE: ON WHERE THE MONEY GOES HERE, ON THE BUDGET, THERE'S A LINE ITEM, 1.2 FOR TRANSFER TO OTHER FUNDS.
WHAT IS THAT? >> SO TRANSFER TO OTHER FUNDS -T COST TO THE CITY.
SO WE USE CITY SERVICES AND THEN WE PAY FOR THOSE SERVICES TO THE CITY, SUCH AS THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT, THE CITY MANAGER'S DEPARTMENT. AND THAT'S WHAT OUR SHARE OF
THE COST IS. >> WHYTE: OKAY. SO IT TRANSFERS --
>> IT TRANSFERS TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS. WE'RE NOT PART OF THE GENERAL
BUDGET SO WE HAVE TO TRANSFER MONEY TO THE GENERAL BUDGET. >>
>> WHYTE: OKAY. MY LAST QUESTION HERE IS THESE STUDIES AND REPORTS THAT Y'ALL GAVE US. IT LOOKS LIKE DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL COST, YOU KNOW, BY COMPONENT, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M REFERENCING. IT LOOKS LIKE HERE -- OBVIOUSLY THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE COST, $24 MILLION, IS GOING TOWARDS THE EDUCATION CENTERS. AM I CORRECT THAT -- BY THE WAY, I'M ALL FOR WHAT Y'ALL ARE DOING. I THINK IT'S GREAT. IT'S NECESSARY.
IT'S A HUGE BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY AND THERE'S NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN EDUCATING THE YOUTH AT AN EARLY AGE. I'M ALL FOR IT. THIS STUDY THAT I THINK DOES SHOW THE PROGRAM'S BEEN EFFECTIVE, THIS IS BASED ON THE EDUCATION CENTERS, RIGHT?
>> DETERMINE SUCCESS ARE BASED ON THE EDUCATION CENTERS. BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE METRICS AS WE SIT HERE TODAY TO REALLY JUDGE IF WE'RE GETTING OUR RETURN ON INVESTMENT ON THIS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMPETITIVE GRANTS. RIGHT?
>> WE HAVE -- THAT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THAT PARTICULAR STUDY.
ONLY BECAUSE IT WAS RELATIVELY NEW. AS I SAID, WE HAD TO COLLECT A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF DATA BEFORE IT COULD BE INCLUDED. IT WILL BE PART OF THE NEXT
ROI STUDY, YES. >> WHYTE: REPORTS COMING UP.
I THINK EVEN, YOU KNOW, IN FAIRNESS TO Y'ALL, Y'ALL SET OUT THAT EVALUATION OUTCOMES ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF SALARIES IN PRE-K TEACHERS, ET CETERA. BUT IN THE REPORT COMING UP WE'RE GOING TO SEE IF THE
MONEY BEING SPENT THERE IS PAYING OFF. >> PRE-K 4 SA DRIVES RESEARCHERS CRAZY BECAUSE WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IS A GROUP OF TEACHERS AND CHILDREN WHO HAVE NOT BEEN AFFECTED BY PRE-K 4 SA AT ALL.
AND THEN COMPARED TO THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN. BUT BECAUSE OF OUR COMPREHENSIVE NATURE, THERE ARE VERY FEW YOUNG CHILDREN THAT ARE NOT BENEFITING FROM PRE-K 4 SA BECAUSE WE PROVIDE TRAINING TO TEACHERS ACROSS THE COMMUNITY.
WE PROVIDE GRANTS. WE'RE HELPING FAMILIES. SO IT'S HARD TO SAY ISOLATE OUT THIS IS THE EFFECT. THEY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A PETRI DISH.
>> WHYTE: IT'S A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE STORY BECAUSE THE $6 MILLION, ALMOST $7 MILLION HERE, IT'S A LITTLE MORE THAN 20% OF WHAT'S BEING SPENT.
AND WHEN WE LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN WE'RE TOUCHING HERE, YOU KNOW, THE VAST MAJORITY ARE LISTED UNDER THAT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
I LOOK FORWARD -- >> ABSOLUTELY. >> WHYTE: I LOOK FORWARD TO
[01:45:02]
THE UPDATED STUDY. THANK YOU ON READY TO WORK, MIKE, I'LL TELL YOU IF I EVER GO INTO BUSINESS AND I'VE GOT INVESTORS AND I NEED TO CALM THEM DOWN AND SETTLE THEM AND TELL THEM EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT, I WANT YOU THERE WITH ME BECAUSE YOU PUT A POSITIVE SPIN ON A PROGRAM THAT IS, WITHOUT QUESTION, OFF TO A ROCKY START, I'LL SAY. AND I APPRECIATED THE COMMENTS THAT WE HEARD EARLIER AND SOME OF THE QUESTIONS IN THAT REGARD. SEVEN MORE PEOPLE WE'RE ADDING HERE. THEY'RE LISTED AS SENIOR MANAGEMENT ANALYSTS.WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO? >> THEY'RE GOING TO WORK WITH OUR EMPLOYERS TO FIND OUT MORE DEEPLY EXACTLY WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE SO THAT WE CAN TAKE THAT INFORMATION BACK TO OUR PARTNERS AS WE EXPAND THOSE PARTNERSHIPS. AND THEY KNOW EXACTLY.
WE JUST MET WITH COMPANY X AND THEY HAVE AN EXPANSION GOING ON IN ONE OF THEIR LINES. THEY'RE GOING TO NEED 20 MORE OF THESE.
AS YOU'RE WORKING WITH THOSE PARTICIPANTS ON THE FRONT END, DEVELOPING THEIR EDUCATION AND CAREER PLAN, LET'S KEEP THAT IN MIND THAT THIS IS COMING AND BRING THAT INFORMATION BACK TO OUR PARTNERS TO HAVE THAT BETTER ALIGNMENT ON THE FRONT END.
THEY'RE GOING TO INCREASE THE FREQUENCY OF OUR JOB FAIRS. AS WE WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS TO HELP GET PEOPLE PLACED, ONE OF THE MOST EFFICIENT WAYS GETTING THAT DONE IS TO BRING THE EMPLOYERS AND PARTICIPANTS TOGETHER. THAT TAKES MANPOWER TO WORK WITH ALL OF THE TARGETED INDUSTRIES, ALL OF OUR 400-PLUS PLEDGED EMPLOYERS AND BRING THEM INTO ONE PLACE WITH THOSE PARTICIPANTS AND ENSURE THOSE CONNECTIONS ARE BEING MADE. WE'RE ALSO GOING TO USE THOSE INDIVIDUALS TO ENSURE WE HAVE A COMMON SCOPE OF SERVICES AROUND ALL OF OUR PARTNERS DOING THIS WORK.
A PART OF THAT SCOPE OF SERVICES HAS SOME KEY INDICATORS FOR JOB PLACEMENT SERVICES, RESUMÉ WRITING TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY HAS A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE CITY'S EXPECTATIONS ARE. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THAT PHRASE THAT YOU INSPECT WHAT YOU EXPECT? SO WE'LL HAVE TO INSPECT TO MAKE SURE, AS WE SAMPLE THOSE PARTICIPANTS, THAT THOSE INTERVENTIONS ARE TAKING PLACE AT A HIGH-QUALITY LEVEL. THOSE RESUMÉS ARE TOPNOTCH AND THOSE PARTICIPANTS ARE CAREER READY WHEN THEY EXIT THE PROGRAM. IT WILL BE A LITTLE BIT A
COMPLIANCE EFFORT. >> WHYTE: I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH THE EMPLOYERS TO SEE WHAT THE NEEDS ARE COMING UP.
WHEN YOU AND I MET I ASKED YOU, THE PROGRAM'S OFF TO A ROCKY START.
WHAT'S BEEN THE BIGGEST PROBLEM SO FAR. YOU TOLD ME IT'S GETTING THESE EMPLOYERS TO HIRE THE FOLKS THAT COME THROUGH THE PROGRAM.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO ME THAT WE'RE ADDING SEVEN MORE PEOPLE, WHATEVER WE'RE GOING TO SPEND MONEY ON -- I MEAN, WE NEED TO REALLY ATTACK THE BIGGEST IMPEDIMENTS TO MAKING THIS PROGRAM A SUCCESS. AND IF IT'S THIS ISSUE WITH THE EMPLOYERS HIRING THE FOLKS, YEAH, THE PEOPLE THAT WE'RE HIRING AND WHAT WE DO ON A DAILY BASIS REALLY NEEDS TO FOCUS ON, AT LEAST IN MY VIEW, ON HOW CAN WE MAKE THESE FOLKS THAT GO THROUGH THE PROGRAM MORE ATTRACTIVE TO THESE EMPLOYERS. I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THESE SENIOR MANAGEMENT ANALYSTS, AT LEAST PART OF THEIR JOB WILL BE THAT.
REGARDING THE 30% OF THE FOLKS THAT ARE LEAVING THE PROGRAM -- I MEAN OR DON'T COMPLETE THE TRAINING. OBVIOUSLY WE'RE NEVER GOING TO HAVE 100%.
DO WE KNOW WHY THE NUMBER IS AS HIGH AS IT IS? >> IT'S NOT THAT HIGH.
STUDENT, HEY, I WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL. YOU DECIDE TO GO TO ALAMO COLLEGES. GREAT. RECOGNIZED AS A AWARD-WINNING COLLEGE, SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE, PALO ALTO. THE GRADUATION PERCENTAGE WITHIN A THREE-YEAR TIME-FRAME IS UNDER 40%. SO IT'S NOT AS FAR OFF.
70% IS AN ASPIRATIONAL HIGH GOAL, ESPECIALLY FOR A POPULATION THAT HAS BARRIERS, LIKE THE PEOPLE WE'RE TARGETING IN READY TO WORK. WE CELEBRATE THAT 70%.
IT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT A NEGATIVE, IT IS A POSITIVE THAT 70% OF THE POPULATION
WE'RE TARGETING IS COMPLETING TRAINING SUCCESSFULLY. >> WHYTE: IT'S A YEAR-LONG TRAINING, RIGHT? THE COLLEGE PROGRAMS ARE THREE-YEAR PROGRAMS. SO THERE'S MORE TIME FOR THINGS TO HAPPEN OVER THREE YEARS FOR PEOPLE TO DROP OUT THAN JUST ONE YEAR. I THINK THE NATIONAL DROPOUT RATE FOR PEOPLE IN FOUR-YEAR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS IN THE FIRST YEAR IS ONLY 25%. SO HERE, YOU KNOW, IN THIS
[01:50:01]
ONE-YEAR PROGRAM, THE -- AM I OUT? IS A LITTLE HIGHER.MY POINT BEING IS I HOPE WE'RE LOOKING AT WHY FOLKS ARE LEAVING THE PROGRAM, EVEN IF 70% IS GOOD. HOW CAN WE MAKE IT BETTER FOR MORE FOLKS TO COMPLETE THE PROGRAM AND GET THEM INTO JOBS. THANKS, MAYOR.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER WHYTE. MIKE, DO WE HAVE A BENCHMARK
IN JOB RETENTION TRAINING PROGRAMS NATIONALLY? >> IN GENERAL, 60 TO 70% OF THE BENCHMARK FOR JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR RETENTION AND COMPLETION OF
THOSE TRAINING PROGRAMS THAT ARE NON-DEGREE. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: OKAY.
SO WE DIDN'T JUST PICK THAT NUMBER OUT? ALL RIGHT.
COUNCILMEMBER CABELLO HAVRDA. >> HAVRDA: THANK YOU, MAYOR.
THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATIONS. MIKE, THERE WAS A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I'M REALLY PLEASED TO SEE IN YOUR REPORT. NUMBER ONE IS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES THAT HAVE APPLIED AND HAVE BEEN INTERVIEWED FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM, AS WELL AS THE 267 OR SO FOSTER KIDS THAT YOU'VE INCLUDED.
I'M JUST THANKFUL THAT WE'RE INCLUDING THOSE POPULATIONS BECAUSE THEY'RE VERY OFTEN LEFT BEHIND. I KNOW WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT INCREASING APPRENTICESHIPS AND WE'RE PROPOSING TO PUT MARTY ON THE BOARD AS A UNION REPRESENTATIVE. I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT. YOU TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PATHWAY FOR TEACHER APPRENTICESHIPS. CAN YOU ELABORATE?
>> THERE'S A SHORTAGE OF TEACHERS IN OUR INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND THE CONVERSATIONS HAVE STARTED WITH REGION 20, UTSA UNTIL LAUNCHING AN APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM TO FILL SOME OF THOSE VACANCIES. WE'RE GOING TO WORK WITH THEM. JOSHUA SCOTT HAS BEEN HAVING MEETINGS WITH THEM.
THE REGION 20 PERSONNEL. TO TRY TO CENTRALIZE THE SUPPORT THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THROUGH THAT DEPARTMENT OF LABOR GRANT TO BUILD AN EXPANDED APPRENTICESHIP TO
ENSURE THAT BECOMES A REALITY. >> HAVRDA: THE MORE WE CAN DO WITH REGION 20 AND LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO UPSKILL EDUCATION, PARAPROFESSIONALS AND PERMANENT TEACHERS, OF COURSE, EVEN SUBSTITUTES. THAT'S MONEY AND ENERGY I THINK WELL SPENT. WE HAVE A TEACHER SHORTAGE. WE LOST SO MANY DUE TO THE EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC AND IT'S A VERY DIFFICULT -- BEING A TEACHER IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT BUT ESPECIALLY NOW. I'M THANKFUL THAT WE'RE EMPHASIZING THAT PROFESSION AS WELL. THAT'S REALLY ALL I HAVE FOR YOU, MIKE.
THANK YOU. I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION FOR YOU, SARAH.
IS THERE AN EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION MARKET STUDY FOR OUR PRE-K 4 SA EMPLOYEES?
>> TEACHERS. I THINK -- I'M LOSING TRACK OF TIME BUT I BELIEVE IT WAS LAST YEAR. TO MAKE SURE WE STAY COMPETITIVE.
AND THEN WE PAY ABOVE-MARKET RATES FOR ALL OF OUR INSTRUCTIONAL POSITIONS.
HR HELPS US TO STAY ON TOP OF THAT. >> HAVRDA: THAT REPORT HAS
BEEN COMPLETED? >> THEY DID THE STUDY -- AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS ISSUED IN A PARTICULAR REPORT BUT THEY DID STUDY THE COMPENSATION AND THAT WAS PART OF THE WAY THAT THEY SET WAGES DURING LAST YEAR WHEN THEY WERE LOOKING AT WAGES ACROSS THE COMMUNITY. BUT THEY DID SPECIFICALLY FOR TEACHERS.
>> HAVRDA: I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE STUDY OR WHATEVER REPORT IT IS.
I WONDER IF THERE'S A WAY TO BRING IT TO THE COUNCIL. I THINK A LOT OF US WOULD BE INTERESTED IN SEEING THAT STUDY. WHEN WAS IT COMPLETED?
>> I BELIEVE IT WAS LAST SPRING. HR DID IT AND WE WORKED ON IT
OVER THE SUMMER. >> WALSH: YEAH. IT WAS ABOUT THIS TIME LAST YEAR. THE LABOR MARKET ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE USED AS A BASIS FOR A NUMBER OF OUR JOBS, CIVILIAN JOBS. AND SO IT WAS DONE AT THE SAME TIME AND MADE SURE THAT WE WERE USING COMPS IN TERMS OF AREA EMPLOYERS.
WE CAN PROVIDE THE TEACHER PORTION. >> HAVRDA: THANK YOU.
WELL, NOT JUST TEACHERS, THOUGH. ALL OF THE EMPLOYEES.
>> ABSOLUTELY. >> HAVRDA: WAS THAT SPECIFICALLY DONE FOR
TEACHERS? >> TEACHERS BUT ALL OF THE EMPLOYEES.
ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL EMPLOYEES WERE LOOKED AT, YES.
>> HAVRDA: IS THAT -- HOW OFTEN DO YOU DO THAT? >> I DON'T KNOW HOW OFTEN HR -- I LOOK AT IT EVERY YEAR TO MAKE SURE WE'RE STILL COMPETITIVE.
>> WALSH: WE LOOK AT IT PRETTY REGULARLY. LAST YEAR -- AND IT WAS EARLIER THAN THIS TIME LAST YEAR. IT WAS WHEN WE WERE DEALING WITH, AS AN EMPLOYER, A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES TO RECRUIT SOME OF OUR KEY POSITIONS. THOSE ARE THOSE MARKET ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE STARTED DOING IN 2022 FOR SOME EMPLOYEE CLASSES. PART OF THIS YEAR'S BUDGET WAS ADDRESSING THE COMPRESSION ISSUES AND THAT INCLUDED, AS PART OF PRE-K AND A PORTION OF THE PRE-K STAFF, THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THEIR BUDGET.
AND THEN PART TWO OF THAT COMPRESSION IS, YOU KNOW, IDEALLY WE WOULD LIKE TO BE
[01:55:03]
ABLE TO ADDRESS AS PART OF NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET. >> HAVRDA: IF I'M HEARING
YOU, HR DOES THE STUDY EVERY YEAR? >> HR LOOKS AT IT.
I LOOK AT IT ACROSS THE BOARD EVERY YEAR BECAUSE I WANT TO KNOW FOR MY OWN INFORMATION.
BUT I WON'T CALL IT A SCIENTIFIC STUDY. I'M LOOKING AT WHAT OTHER DISTRICTS ARE DOING AND WHAT THEIR PAYING, BUT HR DOES THE OFFICIAL COMPENSATION STUDY.
THEY'RE LOOKING AT IT EVERY YEAR BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THEY DO AN OFFICIAL STUDY EVERY
YEAR. >> HAVRDA: I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE STUDY AND I WOULD
LIKE TO BE ABLE TO DISCUSS IT PUBLICLY TOO. >> OF COURSE.
>> HAVRDA: THANK YOU, MAYOR. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER CABELLO HAVRDA. COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE.
>> COURAGE: THANK YOU, MAYOR. I WANT TO THANK BOTH DR. BARAY AND MIKE FOR THE PRESENTATIONS THEY'VE MADE AND THE INFORMATION THEY'VE PUT TOGETHER FOR US. I'LL PROBABLY HAVE A FEW COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS FOR BOTH OF THEM. AS WE LOOK AT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND ITS POVERTY RATE OF 250,000 PEOPLE IN THE CITY, CERTAINLY THE IDEA OF HELPING PEOPLE BECOME READY TO WORK AND GET JOBS HAS TO BE A HIGH PRIORITY FOR THE CITY.
JUST LIKE EDUCATION IS. ONE THING I'D LIKE TO KNOW -- AND I'M NOT ASKING FOR THE ANSWER TODAY -- I WONDER HOW MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE AT OR BELOW THE POVERTY LINE OR EVEN ABOVE IT BUT STILL STRUGGLING ARE EITHER UNEMPLOYED OR UNDEREMPLOYED.
SO WE HAVE AN IDEA OF IF WE'RE SUCCESSFUL IN RETRAINING AND EDUCATING AND PUTTING 15 TO MAYBE, OPTIMISTICALLY, 20,000 PEOPLE TO WORK, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS MORE OF THE VALUE OF THAT? I HEARD DR. NEVIN'S ESTIMATE THAT THIS PROGRAM'S RESULTS COULD BE A $1.7 BILLION INCREASE IN VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY.
AND IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT READY TO WORK BEING MAYBE A QUARTER OF A BILLION DOLLARS OVER THE LIFETIME OF THE INCOME COMING IN, THEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, ALMOST SEVEN TIMES AS MUCH MONEY IN RETURN FOR WHAT WE INVEST IN IT. BUT, AT THE SAME TIME, I WAS THINKING, WELL, IF WE'RE SUCCESSFUL AND WE HELP THESE 15 TO $20,000 PEOPLE LIFT THEMSELVES INTO A REASONABLE INCOME THAT THEY CAN TAKE CARE OF THEIR FAMILY WITH, I WONDER WHAT THE IMPACT'S GOING TO BE ON THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE, LIKE PUBLIC HEALTH OR PUBLIC SAFETY OR HUMAN SERVICES OR NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICES, ET CETERA.
MY GUESS IS THAT COULD BE SAVING US MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN THOSE SERVICES A YEAR GOING FORWARD FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. BECAUSE WE HELP TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN EVERY ONE OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS EVERY YEAR.
IT WILL BE INTERESTING AGAIN TO LOOK AT WHAT'S THE POPULATION BEING SERVED BY ALL OF THESE PROGRAMS THAT MAY BE WITHIN THAT POPULATION, THAT COULD BENEFIT FROM READY TO WORK. SO WE CAN KIND OF SEE, WELL, IF THIS IS SUCCESSFUL WE'RE GOING TO SAVE MAYBE MILLIONS OR HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OUT OF OUR CITY BUDGETS GOING FORWARD. AND I THINK THAT WAS PART OF WHAT HE WAS LOOKING AT.
ONE THING I'D LIKE TO SAY, THOUGH, ABOUT READY TO WORK IS I'M VERY PLEASED TO KNOW THAT WE'VE BEEN CONTINUING TO PROVIDE THE SUPPORT SERVICES THAT PEOPLE NEED IN ORDER TO GO TO WORK, TO GET TO WORK, TO BE ABLE TO KNOW THAT THEY'VE GOT A LITTLE EXTRA MONEY TO PAY FOR GAS OR PAY FOR UTILITY BILLS SO THEIR FAMILY IS TAKEN CARE OF WHILE THEY'RE GOING THROUGH TRAINING. AND THE SAME THING, I'M REALLY IMPRESSED AND I HOPE IT REALLY WORKS OUT WELL WITH SUPPORTING CHILDCARE.
BECAUSE WE KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM IN THIS COMMUNITY FOR WORKING FAMILIES BEING ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR CHILDREN WELL WHILE THEY'RE TRYING TO WORK OR GOING THROUGH TRAINING. I'M REALLY GLAD TO SEE THAT'S PART OF IT.
ANOTHER THING I THINK IS VALUABLE, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE TALKED ABOUT RECENTLY.
THAT IS PAID ON-THE-JOB TRAINING OR INTERNSHIPS WITH BUSINESSES SO THAT THE PEOPLE THAT WE TRAIN AND WE PLACE IN THESE BUSINESSES CAN PROVE THEMSELVES TO THE SATISFACTION OF THE COMPANY WITHOUT THE COMPANY TAKING A CHANCE, OKAY, I'M GOING TO PAY THIS GUY FOR THREE MONTHS AND HE'S NOT GOING TO WORK OUT.
IF WE CAN HELP THEM BY SAYING WE'RE GOING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THAT PERSON'S FIRST 90 DAYS OR 120 DAYS SO THAT YOU CAN SEE THE TRAINING THEY GOT IS GOING TO BENEFIT YOUR COMPANY, THEN THAT HELPS MAKE SURE THESE PEOPLE GET PLACED INSTEAD OF WAITING AND WAITING AND LETTING THESE COMPANIES PICK SOMEBODY ELSE WHO'S GOT SIX YEARS EXPERIENCE, INSTEAD OF SOMEBODY WITH GREAT TRAINING. WE CAN HELP THAT SURETY BY DOING THIS. ON THE OTHER HAND, I DON'T WANT TO JUST HELP COMPANIES
[02:00:01]
THAT CAN PAY THEIR OWN TRAINEES. WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT.I THINK IT'S GOING IN A POSITIVE DIRECTION. I THINK WE'RE MAKING IMPROVEMENTS TO IT. I'LL ALWAYS BE A LITTLE SKEPTICAL UNTIL I START SEEING THOSE REAL JOB NUMBERS OVER THE NEXT YEAR, TWO, THREE.
HOPEFULLY, WE DON'T TAKE UNTIL 2029 TO MAKE THIS PROGRAM PROVE ITSELF.
HOPEFULLY WE'LL KNOW IN 2026, IN 2027. AND SPEND ALL THE MONEY BEFORE THOSE YEARS TO HELP THESE PEOPLE GET TRAINED AND GET THE JOB.
FOR PRE-K 4 SA, I HAVE TALKED TO DR. BARAY BEFORE. BEING A TEACHER I UNDERSTAND WHAT SHE'S DOING. I'VE ALSO TAKEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO AND VISIT OTHER CHILDCARE CENTERS. CHILDCARE CENTERS THAT FOCUS ON EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING.
I HAVE BEEN TO HEAD START TO SEE HOW HEAD START WORKS. I RECOGNIZE THE BENEFIT OF WHAT WE'RE DOING. I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
DO YOU KNOW OFF OF YOUR RESEARCH HOW MANY TOTAL STUDENTS HAVE WE SERVED SO
FAR THROUGH THE PROGRAM? >> DIRECTLY WE'VE SERVED APPROXIMATELY -- I THINK 15,000. IT'S 2,000 A YEAR. INDIRECTLY, IN THE FIRST
EIGHT YEARS, WE BENEFITED OVER 500,000. >> COURAGE: I'M TALKING ABOUT THE MOST DIRECT ONES. SO 15,000. WHEN WILL THAT FIRST COHORT
THAT WE TAUGHT GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL? >> THEY ARE IN HIGH SCHOOL NOW. I THINK IT'S TWO YEARS FROM NOW.
IT'S ONE OF MY GREATEST JOYS IS TO RUN INTO OUR ALUMNI OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND SEE ALL
THE AMAZING THINGS THEY'RE DOING. >> COURAGE: THAT'S SOMETHING I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IS HOW MANY OF THEM GET ACCEPTED TO COLLEGE OR IMMEDIATELY GET INTO A GOOD CAREER OR JOB AND WE CAN SEE THE FRUITS OF OUR LABOR THERE. BECAUSE THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE HOPING FOR IS OFFERING THEM EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SO THEY'RE ON LEVEL OR ABOVE LEVEL AND HAVE THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUCCESS. I'D BE INTERESTED IN HEARING THOSE RESULTS TOO. NOW, ANOTHER QUESTION I HAVE THOUGH IS CAN OUR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM REALLY EDUCATE INFANTS AND TODDLERS? AND HOW DO WE DO THAT?
>> WELL, YES, BECAUSE THE BRAINS OF AN INFANT ARE DEVELOPING A MILLION SYNAPSIS A SECOND. THOSE ARE THE BRAIN CONNECTIONS THAT ALLOW THEM TO HAVE STRONG FOUNDATIONS IN ACADEMICS AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND THAT'S DONE THROUGH INTERACTION WITH ADULTS. WHEN YOU HAVE HIGH-QUALITY ADULT INTERACTIONS, THAT IS BUILDING THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE BRAIN AND SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT INFANTS IN PARTICULAR GET WHAT WE GET SERVE AND RESPONSE.
BECAUSE THAT'S HOW THEY LEARN THAT THEY ARE LOVED AND CARED FOR.
AND THAT IS -- WHEN THAT IS INTERRUPTED THROUGH TRAUMA OR ABUSE, THAT ACTUALLY DOES AFFECT BRAIN DEVELOPMENT. AND SO EVEN IF CHILDREN ARE LIVING IN A VERY TRAUMATIC SITUATION OR NEGLECTFUL SITUATION, IF THEY COME TO SA CHILDCARE PROGRAM THAT HAS THAT VERY LOVING, HIGH-QUALITY INTERACTION, IT HELPS TO MITIGATE THOSE DAMAGING EFFECTS OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT. SO IT'S CRITICAL.
THAT'S WHY PEOPLE THINK, OH, THE BABIES ARE ADORABLE BUT IT IS A HIGHLY-SKILLED JOB
AND HELP IN THEIR DEVELOPMENT. >> COURAGE: I WAS AT A PRIVATE CENTER THAT'S DOING THAT. THEY ARE TAKING IN INFANTS.
IT'S JUST AMAZING TO ME. YOU KNOW, AS A TEACHER, A COUPLE OF TIMES I WAS ASKED TO GO INTO THE THIRD OR 4-YEAR-OLD CLASSROOM TO FILL IN WHILE A TEACHER TALKED TO A PARENT. AND IT SCARED ME TO DEATH. THOSE KIDS JUST SWARM YOU.
THEY'RE SO NEEDY. ANYWAY -- >>
[LAUGHTER] GOOD LUCK. >> THEY'RE LOOKING FOR THAT
ADULT-CHILD INTERACTION. >> COURAGE: I GUESS THE LAST THING I'LL ASK YOU IS HOW WILL PRE-K 4 SA AND YOUR PROGRAMS DIFFER OR COMPLEMENT EARLY HEAD START, OR HEAD
START IN GENERAL? >> WE PARTNER ALREADY WITH OUR HEAD START PARTNERS AND THAT'S ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WE'RE ASKING OURSELVES IS AS WE MOVE INTO THE INFANT-TODDLER SPACE, HOW DO WE PARTNER MORE INTENTIONALLY WITH HEAD START.
WE WANT TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SEATS. WE COULD SAY, OH, EARLY HEAD START IS GOING TO PROVIDE THE CARE IN OUR CENTER. BUT THAT DOESN'T INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SEATS. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE CONVERSATIONS WE'RE HAVING IS WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE. DO WE DO SOME DIRECT PARTNERING IN SOME OF OUR PROGRAMS? DO WE JUST WORK COLLECTIVELY ON A PARTICULAR AREA YEAH SO THAT'S TO BE ANSWERED. BUT THEY ARE GOOD PARTNERS WITH US.
HEAD START IS A TREMENDOUS PROGRAM. >> COURAGE: THANK YOU, DR. BARAY. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. I'VE GOT ONE QUESTION.
SOMEBODY SAID TO ME IN MY COMMUNITY -- AND I'M GOING TO ADDRESS IT TO ANDY.
ANDY, COULD WE JUST TAKE SOME OF THE MONEY OUT OF THESE PROGRAMS, BECAUSE THEY HAVE
[02:05:02]
SO MUCH, AND USE THEM TO BUILD MORE STREETS AND SIDEWALKS OR PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES OR SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES? I MEAN, THERE'S MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN THERE SO CAN'T WE JUST REALLOCATE SOME OF THAT MONEY FROM EITHER OF THESEORGANIZATIONS? >> SEGOVIA: FIRST, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION, COUNCILMAN, BECAUSE I HAD A TWO-PAGE THING READY TO ANSWER THAT.
I'LL GIVE YOU THE SHORT VERSION. THE ANSWER IS NO BECAUSE BOTH ORGANIZATIONS ARE FUNDED THROUGH TAX AUTHORITY GIVEN UNDER STATE LAW 379A.
SORRY, TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE CHAPTER 379A THAT SETS OUT THE PARAMETERS ON HOW WE CAN TAX AND SPEND THE MONEY. UNLESS THEY ARE UNDER THOSE PROGRAMS, WHICH HAVE QUALIFIED FOR THOSE EXPENDITURES, WE CAN'T SIMPLY TAKE MONEY FROM ONE ENTITY AND EITHER GIVE IT TO ANOTHER OR GIVE IT TO THE GENERAL FUND.
THEY HAVE TO BE FOR THOSE PROGRAMS IN WHICH WE HAD THE TAXING AUTHORITY TO DO IT.
>> COURAGE: BUT THEY HAVE A LITTLE FLEXIBILITY WITHIN THEIR ORGANIZATION ON HOW
THEY USE THAT MONEY. >> SEGOVIA: ABSOLUTELY. >> COURAGE: AS LONG AS IT MEETS THEIR ULTIMATE GOAL THAT WAS STATED FOR THE PURPOSE.
>> SEGOVIA: IT HAS TO MEET THE ULTIMATE GOAL STATED UNDER TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, BUT ALSO THE GOAL UNDER WHICH WE HAD THE VOTERS VOTE ON THE PROPOSITION.
WE HAVE TO MEET BOTH OF THOSE. AND BOTH PROGRAMS DO.
>> COURAGE: THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE. ALL THAT FOR A NO. THANKS, ANDY.
APPRECIATE THAT. [LAUGHTER] >> SEGOVIA: I HAD TO USE
THE INFORMATION MY PEOPLE GOT FOR ME, MAYOR. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG:
COUNCILMEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU, MAYOR.
THANK YOU, DR. BARAY. THANK YOU FOR SERVING. DR. BARAY WAS ON A PANEL I MODERATED INVOLVING EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE AND CHILDCARE NEEDS THROUGH LSA.
THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE. I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU MENTION IT HAD MILITARY FOCUS, CHILDCARE ACCESS, SPECIFICALLY FOR MILITARY FAMILIES IS CRITICAL.
I KNOW THAT YOU'VE BEEN WORKING WITH JIM OVER AT THE PORT.
LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT COMBINATION OF A CHILDCARE CENTER THAT ADDRESSES NOT ONLY MILITARY FAMILIES BUT ALSO THE COMMUNITIES IN THE DISTRICT, FOR INSTANCE, THAT COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO AND I REPRESENT, AND THE IMMEDIATE AREA.
JIM, A FEW PEOPLE FROM THE CHAMBER AND MYSELF WERE MEETING WITH SOME OFFICIALS AT THE PENTAGON. THAT WAS THE THING THAT WE KEPT HEARING OVER AND OVER.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK THERE. ALSO, I THINK IT'S CLEAR, RIGHT, THAT WE JUST NEED CHILDHOOD EDUCATION FOR CRITICAL LIFELONG SUCCESS, RIGHT? THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO.
YOU ALL SHOWED THE CHILDCARE DESERTS ON THE SOUTHSIDE. TEXAS A&M SAN ANTONIO IS WORKING REALLY HARD ON TRYING TO CLOSE THOSE LOOPS. I DO WANT TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO THANK MY APPOINTEE, RICHARD PEREZ, TO THE BOARD.
BECAUSE HE KNOWS THE PROGRAM AND I'M JUST HAPPY TO HAVE HIM BE AN ADVOCATE FOR THE DISTRICT. I ALSO APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT BUDGETING TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S SOME CAPACITY IN CASE OF A SALES TAX REVENUE DECLINE, BECAUSE WE JUST CAN'T LEAVE OUR CHILDREN BEHIND. WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE EFFORTS AT THE STATE OR THE LACK OF EFFORTS AT THE STATE FOR EDUCATION -- YOU HEARD IT THIS MORNING FROM DR. WOODS, THE CONCERN THERE. IN MY AREA I HAVE SOUTH SAN, SOUTHWEST, AND NORTHSIDE ISD SCHOOLS AND I TRY TO SUPPORT THEM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
ONE OF THE THINGS I HEARD IN PARTICULAR FROM SOUTHWEST ISD WAS THEIR MASTER TEACHERS' PROGRAM. THE TRAINING YOU OFFER IS SO SUPPORTIVE.
I UNDERSTAND HOW YOU'RE REACHING OUT TO MORE KIDS THAN THE ONES WE ACTUALLY SERVICE AND SO I THINK IT'S GREATLY APPRECIATED. AND THEN I KNOW THAT THERE WAS AN AUDIT RECENTLY -- AND I APPRECIATE YOU CLARIFYING WHAT YOU ALL ARE DOING TO CORRECT THE SITUATION. THOSE ARE ALL MY COMMENTS, ACTUALLY, FOR PRE-K 4 SA.
IT WAS PRETTY SIMPLE. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALL THE WORK YOU DO.
AND THEN, MIKE, I'LL START OFF BY ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THIS IS A TEAM EFFORT THAT INCLUDES COMMUNITY PARTNERS. AND SO I SEE FRANCISCO FROM QUEST.
I SEE ADRIAN LOPEZ FROM WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS ALAMO AND I'M PROUD OUR COMMUNITY IS A PARTNER IN THIS. THE VOTERS VOTED FOR THIS, LIKE THE MAYOR SAID.
I'M HAPPY TO SEE WE ARE ADJUSTING. SO IN PARTICULAR, A COUPLE OF DAYS I THINK IT WAS, BUT COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO CHAIRS THE CHEC COMMITTEE AND ONE OF THE PROGRAMS THEY TALKED ABOUT WAS UNLOCKED. AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT READY TO WORK WAS CONNECTED WITH THE FOLKS, RIGHT? AND SO MAKING SURE THAT THEY GET THE INFORMATION AS SOON AS THEY GET OUT OF JAIL.
ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT I WAS WONDERING IS: IS NHSD GIVING YOU INFORMATION FOR
THE PEOPLE WHO APPLY FOR UTILITY SERVICES? >> NO.
WE DON'T HAVE THAT CONNECTIVITY YET WITH NHSD. >> GARCIA: I THINK WE MIGHT
[02:10:05]
BE MISSING A BIG MARKET. IT'S A HIGH-NEED MARKET. I MADE THAT ASSUMPTION AND MY STAFF ASKED ME AND I SAID, YEAH, WE'RE DOING THAT, SURE. BUT WE'RE NOT.>> NO. >> GARCIA: THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN, FOR ME, A NO-BRAINER.
SO ANYTHING WE CAN SHARE. BUT SO THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT.
THANK YOU, ROSANNA FOR HAVING ME ASK THAT QUESTION. I MENTIONED THE HOSPITALITY COMPONENT. I WAS WORKING WITH COUNCILMAN PERRY ON FIGURING OUT THE HOSPITALITY ASPECT TO THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM. I APPRECIATE YOU ALL ARE FOCUSED ON THAT NOW. THERE WAS A REPORT, THE COVID IMPACT REPORT THAT YOU ALL PRESENTED AUGUST 13, 2020. IT SAID 33,000 EMPLOYEES WERE AFFECTED IN THE FOOD SERVICES AND ACCOMMODATION INDUSTRY. OF 154,000 TOTAL EMPLOYEES AFFECTED.
THAT WAS ABOUT ONE-FIFTH OF ALL OF THE DISPLACED WORKERS CAME FROM THAT INDUSTRY.
AND SO I FEEL LIKE, AGAIN, THIS WAS LIKE FOUR YEARS AGO I WAS TALKING ABOUT IT AND IT'S JUST NOW BEING DONE. I'M GLAD IT'S FINALLY BEING DONE.
BUT I FEEL LIKE WE'RE STILL MAYBE MOVING A LITTLE BIT SLOW IN SOME OF THESE AREAS.
I DO WANT TO REFERENCE THAT AT THAT SAME MEETING WE TALKED ABOUT ON-THE-JOB TRAINING PROGRAM AND THE OPTION WHERE EMPLOYERS WOULD RECEIVE TUITION FUNDS UPON PARTICIPANT COMPLETION, NOT AT THE BEGINNING. BUT IT WAS STATED AT THE TIME THAT IT WOULD BE UPON THAT COMPLETION. BACK TO COUNCILMAN COURAGE'S POINT ABOUT SOME MIGHT NOT NEED IT. WE UNDERSTAND THERE ARE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT DO. I KNOW YOU'RE WORKING WITH COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO ON IDENTIFYING SOME EMPLOYERS THAT DO, RIGHT? SO I THINK THAT MAYBE WE COULD MAKE THAT DISTINCTION AS TO WHEN FOLKS GET PAID FOR THAT.
AND THEN ALSO AT THAT SAME MEETING WE HAD REFERENCED LOW PARTICIPANT TO CASE MANAGER RATIO. SO ONE OF THE PLUGS THAT I AM GOING TO GIVE YOU ALL IS THAT YOU ALL WANTED EXTRA PEOPLE. YOU ALL, IN THERE, ASKED FOR -- I THINK IT WAS 45 TOTAL POSITIONS. WHILE I DIDN'T AGREE WITH THE FULL 45, I KNEW THAT YOU ALL NEEDED A WHOLE LOT MORE THAN WHAT WAS APPROVED. SO I WANT TO GIVE YOU ALL KUDOS FOR THAT INSIGHT THAT YOU ALL HAD, BECAUSE YOU ALL KNOW THAT PEOPLE WITH THESE PARTICULAR NEEDS ARE GOING TO NEED A LOT MORE WRAPAROUND SUPPORT.
I KNOW THERE WAS A COMMUNITY GROUP THAT PUSHED BACK AT THE TIME BUT I HOPE THAT THEY'RE SEEING THAT WE'RE COMING HALFWAY. AND SO WE UNDERSTAND WHERE WE NEED TO BE, AND SO I APPRECIATE YOU FOR THAT. WE ALSO, AT THAT TIME, TALKED ABOUT A PRELIMINARY BUDGET FOR EMERGENCY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE BY CASE MANAGERS.
IT WAS $2.5 MILLION AT THE TIME. HAS THAT -- CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND HOW THAT HAS INCREASED OVER THE TIME, HAS IT BEEN USED?
HOW ARE WE MANAGING THAT FUND? >> YES, COUNCILWOMAN.
WE INCREASED THE EMERGENCY FUNDING CAP FROM $500 PER PARTICIPANT TO $1500.
WE HAVEN'T SEEN YET AN INCREASE IN USAGE OF THOSE DOLLARS BY PARTICIPANTS.
WE'RE GOING TO WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO STREAMLINE THAT USAGE OF FUNDS BECAUSE WE KNOW THEY HAVE NEEDS. WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE
THE MECHANISM IN PLACE. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU SO MUCH, MIKE.
AND THEN WE RECENTLY APPROVED THAT ON-THE-JOB TRAINING AND THE INCUMBENT WORKER TRAINING, I UNDERSTAND IT TAKES A LITTLE BIT LONGER FOR SOME TO ENROLL IN TRAINING VERSUS LIKE DEGREE COMPLETIONS . DO WE HAVE A FUNNEL THAT SHOWS US HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE PROJECTED TO GRADUATE WITHIN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS, 12
MONTHS, ET CETERA? >> WE EXPECT BETWEEN 800 TO 1,000 PEOPLE TO COMPLETE THEIR TRAINING IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS. A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF PEOPLE IN A SHORTER AMOUNT OF TIME. OVER THE NEXT YEAR YOU CAN DOUBLE THAT NUMBER AND LOOK AT AN ADDITIONAL 1,000 PEOPLE.
SO 2,000 TOTAL THE NEXT YEAR. >> GARCIA: GOT IT. THANK YOU FOR THAT.
I UNDERSTAND THERE'S DIFFERENT REASONS, DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES THAT PEOPLE MIGHT STOP THE PROGRAM OR JUST DECIDE THAT IT'S NOT RIGHT FOR THEM.
I UNDERSTAND THAT'S OUT OF YOUR CONTROL. I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE KEEP THEM IN. AND SO WE STARTED THE TRAINING ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, MAY 16, 2022, IS I BELIEVE WHEN THE TRAINING STARTED. YOU MENTIONED A GRADUATION RATE 40% GRADUATION RATE. OF THOSE THAT DROP OUT, DO WE DO AN EXIT INTERVIEW? REMIND ME. WHAT DO THEY SAY IS THE NUMBER ONE REASON THEY STOP
COMING? >> FOR THOSE WHO STAY IN COMMUNICATION WITH THEIR CASE MANAGERS, BECAUSE THEN THEY'RE GONE. 29% STOP THEIR TRAINING.
71% COMPLETED THEIR TRAINING. WE STARTED MAY 16. WE DIDN'T HAVE THE FIRST ENROLLMENT UNTIL JUNE. BUT THAT'S WHEN WE STARTED THE INTAKE PROCESS.
[02:15:02]
THERE ARE MULTIPLE REASONS. SOME PEOPLE ARE MOVING AND NO LONGER LIVE IN SAN ANTONIO.THEY'VE GONE AND MOVED ELSEWHERE. OTHERS, CHILDCARE WAS A BARRIER. THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANYBODY TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR CHILDREN.
OTHERS, THEY FOUND A JOB THAT, YOU KNOW, ALLOWS THEM TO MAKE THE DOLLARS THAT THEY NEED TO MAKE WITHOUT THE READY TO WORK INITIATIVE BEING SUPPORTIVE.
THEY CHOSE I'M NOT GOING TO DO SCHOOL RIGHT NOW. BUT THERE'S A MULTITUDE OF
REASONS THAT INDIVIDUALS HAVE DECIDED NOT TO CONTINUE. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU.
I THINK WE COULD PROBABLY PICK AND CHOOSE WHAT ARE THOSE AND MAKE SURE WE HAVE SOMEONE THAT'S LOOKING OR TRACKING THAT AND HOW WE HELP THAT.
CAN WE REVISIT THE CONTRACTS THAT WE APPROVED IN 2022? THE REASON THAT I'M ASKING THIS IS THERE WAS AN AUDIT REPORT THAT CAME OUT RECENTLY AND IT SAID ITEM NO. 2, I'LL BE PARTICULAR ABOUT THAT ONE. ITEM NO. 1 WAS SBEDA GOALS. WE CAN GO OFFLINE AND DISCUSS THE EXECUTION OF CONTRACTS, ET CETERA. BUT ITEM NO. 2 SAYS THAT THE OFFICE WAS GOING TO COMPLETE THE RECOMMENDATIONS BY APRIL 15 OF 2024.
HAVE WE ALREADY DONE ALL OF THAT? >> WE'VE MADE OUR RESPONSE BACK TO THE AUDITOR AS FAR AS WHAT INTERVENTIONS WE PUT IN PLACE TO ENSURE OUR PARTNERS ARE TRACKING TOWARDS HITTING THEIR CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENTS.
THAT, I BELIEVE, WILL GO BEFORE THE AUDIT COMMITTEE SOMETIME NEXT MONTH.
WE REVISIT THE CONTRACTS AFTER THE THIRD YEAR. IN MAY IS WHEN OUR CONTRACTS BEGIN TO BE EXECUTED. AFTER THAT THIRD YEAR, WE HAVE THREE OPTION YEARS WITH OUR PARTNERS THAT WE'LL BE EVALUATING AND DECIDING WHICH RELATIONSHIPS DO WE NEED TO LOOK AT CAPACITY AND WHICH ONES NEED TO CONTINUE TO GROW AND EXPAND.
>> GARCIA: GREAT. THANK YOU. BECAUSE ONE OF THE CONTRACTS THAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE WAS INCLUDED IN THE AUDIT WAS JUST LIKE THE CREATIE NOGGIN, SA TALENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: GREAT. THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER ROCHA GARCIA.
COUNCILMEMBER ALDERETE GAVITO. >> GAVITO: THANK YOU, MAYOR. REALLY QUICK. JUST FOR PRE-K 4 SA.
THANK YOU, DR. BARAY FOR THE PRESENTATION AND THE BRIEFING.
REALLY APPRECIATE IT. I'M DEFINITELY GLAD TO SEE THE IMPACT THIS PROGRAM HAS HAD THUS FAR. LIKE WAS STATED, WE KNOW HOW IMPORTANT EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IS. ACTUALLY THIS MORNING I DO HAVE TO BRAG.
I HAD MY GIGI'S PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE. SHE'S DOING GOOD ON ALL THE THINGS. BUT IT IS NICE TO GET THESE PACKETS OF HOW THEY'RE DOING AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS. I AGREE WITH YOU, COUNCILMAN COURAGE, THE 3, 4-YEAR-OLDS, THEY'RE SCARY. THEY'RE VERY SCARY. THEY'RE FUN THOUGH.
THEIR PERSONALITIES ARE A LOT OF FUN IF. I AM PROUD THAT THE CITY IS WORKING TO ADDRESS THE DEFICIT IN OUR COMMUNITY AND RAISE THE FUTURE GENERATIONS THAT WILL BE ABLE TO BREAK GENERATIONAL POVERTY. YOU KNOW, I EXPRESSED YESTERDAY THAT I WORRY HOW MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE THESE PROGRAMS WILL MAKE IF WE AREN'T ADDRESSING THE OTHER FACTORS THAT PERPETUATE POVERTY.
LIKE COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO WAS SAYING, THE CHILDCARE DESERT MAPS, YOU KNOW, ARE THE SAME RED LINE MAPS THAT WE SEE AGAIN AND AGAIN. AND I KNOW THAT YOU ALL -- I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT SLIDE IT IS. IT WAS ABOUT THE SHARED SERVICES ALLIANCES. WHERE Y'ALL ARE PARTNERING WITH SOME OF THESE OTHER DAYCARE CENTERS. WHICH, YOU KNOW, IT SOUNDS GREAT.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT WOULD HELP. BUT I'M CURIOUS HOW WE'RE MEASURING SUCCESS WITH THAT. HOW ARE WE KNOWING THEY'RE TAKING THE PROGRAM -- THE PROVEN SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM THAT YOU ALL HAVE -- AND INCORPORATING IT SUCCESSFULLY. AND THEN NOT CLOSING DOWN A MONTH LATER.
HOW ARE WE TRACKING SUCCESS ON THAT? >> WELL, SO THAT'S PART OF ONE OF THE PROGRAMS THAT OUR EXTERNAL EVALUATORS ARE STUDYING AND SHARED SERVICES STARTED IN 2019 IN THE FALL, RIGHT BEFORE THE PANDEMIC. AND SO THEN WHAT WE WERE INITIALLY FOCUSED ON WAS QUALITY IN BUSINESS. AND THEN IT BECAME ABOUT JUST KEEPING THEM OPEN THROUGH THE PANDEMIC, WHICH WE WERE SUCCESSFUL AT DOING.
AND THAT TOOK A LOT OF GETTING STAFFING FOR THEM, MATERIALS, SUPPLIES.
SINCE THEN WE HAVE STARTED FOCUSING ON QUALITY, WHICH MEANS GETTING THEM INTO THE QUALITY-RATING SYSTEM. ALL OF OUR PROVIDERS HAVE -- WE WORK WITH THEM TO GET INTO THE QUALITY RATING SYSTEM AND GET THEM TO A TRS4 AND CONTINUE TO GO BEYOND.
WE HAVE DATA THAT SHOWS THEY HAVE INCREASED QUALITY. WE ALSO MEASURE THEIR CLASS SCORES AND CLASS IS A MEASURE OF INSTRUCTIONAL QUALITY. SO WE HAVE OBSERVERS THAT GO IN. THEY SEE HOW THE TEACHERS ARE INTERACTING AND GIVE A RATING. OUR PARTNERS ARE DOING QUITE WELL.
THEY COMPARE NATIONALLY TO HEAD START PROGRAMS AND OTHER PROGRAMS. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT THEIR BUSINESS BOTTOM LINE. THAT'S BEEN THE GREATER CHALLENGE BECAUSE A LOT OF -- MOST CHILDCARE PROVIDERS ARE SMALL BUSINESSES.
THEY DON'T HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE SO WE'VE BEEN HELPING THEM TO GET AUTOMATED
[02:20:04]
SO WE CAN HELP THEM ANALYZE THAT. THAT IS PART OF WHAT WILL BE ONE OF OUR STUDIES NEXT YEAR. WE'RE COLLECTING THE DATA TO MAKE SENSE OF IT.NOT ONLY THE QUANTITATIVE DATA BUT THE QUALITATIVE FROM THE PROVIDERS THEMSELVES AND JUST THE ABILITY FOR THEM TO NOT JUST STAY OPEN BUT TO THRIVE.
I'M JUST GOING TO TELL YOU ONE SUCCESS STORY THAT I THINK CAPTURES THAT WE HAD A PROVIDER WHO HAD A 30-CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER ON THE SOUTHSIDE.
>> IN A SMALL HOME. AND SHE SAID TWO YEARS AGO, I WANT TO BUILD A NEW BUILDING AND OPEN IT AND HAVE, YOU KNOW, 200. I WANT TO BE A PRE-K FOUR SA. I WAS LIKE, OKAY, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET FUNDING FOR THAT. BUT SHE ENDED UP DOING THAT AND OPENED A BRAND-NEW BUILDING THAT IS INCREDIBLE. BUT SHE ALSO, THROUGH LEARNING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING REVENUE COME IN, PUT IN SOME RETAIL SPACES, SO SHE CAN HAVE SMALL BUSINESSES IN THERE TO GENERATE HER REVENUE.
IT'S 250 CHILDREN. IT'S INCREDIBLE, AND AS A MATTER OF FACT, SHE WAS THE READER'S CHOICE AWARD FOR CHILDCARE. SHE BEAT OUT PRE-K FOUR SA IN TERMS OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY PROGRAM. IT'S REALLY A SUCCESS STORY. AND WHAT SHE WILL TELL YOU IS, I'VE ALWAYS DELIVERED QUALITY BUT I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS UNTIL I GOT TO WORK WITH YOU ALL AND EVEN UNDERSTAND ALL THE BUSINESS PIECES AND WHY YOU HAVE TO THINK LIKE A BUSINESS PERSON. YOU CAN'T JUST SAY, OH, I'M SORRY YOU CAN'T PAY YOUR TUITION, YOU CAN COME IN ANYWAY, BECAUSE
YOU CAN'T STAY IN BUSINESS. >> GAVITO: NO, THAT'S WONDERFUL. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT STORY.
IT'S GREAT TO HEAR HOW PRE-K FOUR SA IS SHARING ITS PRACTICES AND WORKING WITH OTHERS, ESPECIALLY WHERE IT'S NEEDED MOST, ON THE SOUTH SIDE AND EAST SIDE OF TOWN. I WANT TO COMMEND Y'ALL'S EFFORT TO MOVING THOSE TEMPS TO FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES. BEING THOUGHTFUL WITH OUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT A LITTLE BIT YESTERDAY WAS KIND OF THE OVERALL COST PER CHILD. SO WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT -- I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT SLIDE IT WAS ON -- YOU KNOW, I BROKE IT DOWN TO 29,000 THAT WE'RE INVESTING IN A CHILD, AND I KNOW THAT THAT'S NOT FULLY ACCURATE, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT TAKING OUT THE SHARED ALLIANCES, SO HOW MUCH IS IT THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INVESTING PER CHILD?
>> IT'S SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 12 AND 13,000 PER CHILD. AND WE HAVEN'T DONE IT FOR A COUPLE YEARS, BUT WE COMPARED I ON AN HOURLY BASIS, WE ACTUALLY -- ARE MORE COST EFFICIENT THAN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS BECAUSE WE RUN A 10-HOUR DAY. SO WE ARE VERY CONSCIENCE OF THAT.
BUT I WILL ALSO SAY WE SPEND WHAT IT COSTS TO HAVE A QUALITY PROGRAM BECAUSE QUALITY MATTERS. MEAN GZ WE PAY OUR TEACHERS, WE HAVE THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED, AND SO WE DON'T DO IT ON THE CHEAP, BUT WE DO IT
EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY. >> GAVITO: AWESOME.
THANK YOU. I DO WANT TO QUICKLY ECHO COUNCILMAN COURAGE'S COMMENTS, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO TRACKING THOSE HIGH SCHOOLERS NOW AND SEEING THEIR SUCCESS RATE AND ADDING PROBABLY FURTHER TESTAMENT TO ALL
THE GREAT WORK YOU'RE DOING. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER ALDARETE GAVITO. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? REAL QUICK, MIKE, WE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING THAT CONNECTION -- AND I'M GLAD THAT COUNCILMEMBER ROCHA GARCIA BROUGHT IT UP -- BETWEEN NHSD -- ALL THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS AND READY TO WORK, BECAUSE IF SOMEBODY IS NEEDING HELP ON RENT OR UTILITY PAYMENTS, THEY'RE ALREADY COST BURDENED AND THEY'RE VERY LIKELY TO BE INTERESTED IN A PROGRAM LIKE THIS. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WHEN SOMEONE CALLS IN, THEY'RE GETTING SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THESE PROGRAMS. IF I'M HEARING COUNCILMEMBER ROCHA GARCIA CORRECTLY, WE WANT TO TAKE THE DATA AND WHO WE'RE REACHING FROM THOSE PROGRAMS AND DO A PROACTIVE REACH OUT TO THEM.
IF WE'RE ABLE TO DO THAT, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE, THAT IS A POPULATION THAT IS WORTH OUR TIME IN PURSUING, TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY'RE, YOU KNOW,
WILLING TO LISTEN TO THE PITCH. >> YES, SIR.
>> CAN I SHARE ON THAT? ON PRE-K FOUR SA, WE'RE WORKING TO AUTOMATICALLY ENROLL OUR FAMILIES IN THOSE PROGRAMS SO THAT WE JUST MAKE THEM AWARE OF IT IF THEY'RE ELIGIBLE. WE ALREADY VERIFY THEIR INCOME, AND THEY JUST HAVE TO SIGN, WE GIVE PRE-K FOUR SA PERMISSION TO SHARE WITH OUR UTILITY
COMPANY SO THEY CAN DO THAT, SO... >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: GREAT.
THANK YOU, SARAH. I KNOW MY COLLEAGUES ARE TIRED OF ME SAYING WAY BACK IN 2013, THE CONVERSATION AROUND THE DAIS -- I DO WANT TO SAY, THANK YOU, ADRIANA, FOR BRINGING THIS UP TO. IN THE FIRST ITERATION FOR PREK, THERE WERE A LOT OF TWEAKS THAT THE COUNCIL ASKED FOR.
THOSE CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE, IT'S RESULTED IN A GREAT PROGRAM.
MIKE, YOU AND YOUR TEAM HAVE BEEN FLEXIBLE AND OPEN TO CRITICISM AND THE REQUEST FOR CHANGES. THE POINT WAS MADE THAT ONE OF THE ORIGINAL CRITICISMS WAS WE DON'T WANT THIS TO BE A TOP-HEAVY PROGRAM, BROUGHT THAT STAFF WAY DOWN. WE'VE LEARNED FROM THAT.
WE'RE GOING TO NEED SOME ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE TO PLACE PEOPLE IN JOBS AND
[02:25:04]
DO THAT KIND OF CASE MANAGEMENT WORK. WE CAN -- WE DON'T HAVE TO GO TOO FAR IN THE OTHER DIRECTION, BUT I THINK IT'S WORTHY.MY POINT IS, WE'RE ALL IN ON MAKING THIS PROGRAM A SUCCESS.
IF YOU'RE A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY THAT'S EMPLOYER WHO'S YOU'RE INTERESTED, WE NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU. GIVE US YOURED YES.
EVERY SINGLE SECTOR THAT WE'VE HAD IN A ROUND TABLE HAS GIVEN US IDEAS ABOUT HOW THE DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES WORK DIFFERENTLY.
YOU KNOW, THE TRAINING COMPONENTS, HOW THEY REACH OUT TO POTENTIAL CAREER AS PIR RANTS, HOW THEY EVEN QUALIFY PEOPLE THROUGH HR, ALL OF THAT IS DIFFERENT. THE POINT IS THIS PROGRAM IS BUILT TO BE FLEXIBLE, TO WORK WITH THE EMPLOYERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE APPLICANTS AND PARTICIPANTS CAN BE SUCCESSFUL LONG-TERM. AND COUNCILMEMBER
MCKEE. >> MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ: , I COUNCILMEMBER MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ, I AGREE WITH YOU. HOPEFULLY THE END OF THIS PROGRAM IS WE HAVE A GENERATION -- GENERATIONS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NO LONGER REQUIRING SUBSIDIZED RENT OR HAVING TO LOOK FOR THE SECOND JOB TO MAKE -- YOU KNOW, TO MAKE THE BILLS WORK OUT. THAT 20, $21 ENTRY WAGE IS OKAY, BUT THE GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT EACH OF THESE PARTICIPANTS IS CAREER MOBILE, IS ECONOMICALLY MOBILE. THEY SHOULD BE EQUIPPED WITH A DEGREE, A CREDENTIAL OF SOME KIND THAT THEIR STARTING WAGE IS NOT THEIR FINISH WAGE. AND THAT THEY CAN VERY QUICKLY MOVE UP THE CAREER LADDER AND INCREASE THEIR WAGES. AND OVER TIME, THAT WILL BE A COMMUNITY-WIDE IMPACT. SO GREAT DISCUSSION ON BOTH FRONTS. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK, Y'ALL.
WE DO NOT HAVE -- SARAH, DID YOU WANT TO CLOSE WITH SOMETHING?
>> ONE MORE KIND OF A SHAMELESS PLUG BECAUSE WE'RE IN THE LAST THREE DAYS OF THE GRACIAS SELECTION FOR THE ARTWORK, SO OUR CHILDREN'S SELECTED DAISY CARES AS OUR NONPROFIT FOR THE YEAR, THEY'VE GOT THEIR ARTWORK ON LINE. IT'S BEING AUCTIONED OFF, AND SO YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO BID FOR A GOOD CAUSE AND GET A ONE-OF-A-KIND PIECE OF ARTWORK.
WE'LL SEND YOU OUT THE QR CODE AGAIN SO YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO GET THAT BEFORE
THE BIDDING ENDS ON FRIDAY. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: GREAT.
AND NOTHING TO FEAR, COUNCILMAN COURAGE. >> QUICK NOTE, THEY HAVE STARTED THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH NHSD. THEY'RE WORKING ON THE CONSENT FORMS, SO WE CAN GET PERMISSION FROM CPS AND SAWS TO BE ABLE TO
CHECK THE STATUS OF INDIVIDUALS, SO... >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: PERFECT.
ALL RIGHT. ANDY, NO EXEC? >> SEGOVIA: IN COMMEMORATION OF TODAY BEING A HOLIDAY, NO EXEC.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: AT 4:33 ON THE FIRST DAY OF MAY, WE ARE ADJOURNED.
DON'T FORGET, THERE
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.