Welcome to Lovejoy ISD where Kids Come First.
Each day we are focused on doing our Best Today. Better Tomorrow.
We are One Heart. One Lovejoy.
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Dear Lovejoy Community:
The district’s communication plan includes updates regarding Board meetings. Following each meeting of the Board of Trustees, we share a recap of the evening’s events.
For those interested in an outline of the Board Meeting, you may find the full agenda here.
Following is the March 25, 2021 Board Brief.
The Board meeting was called to order at 5:00 PM with the Board retiring into Executive Session at 5:04 PM. Executive Session is a time where limited items such as personnel matters may be discussed. No votes are taken in Executive Session. The Board remained in Executive Session until 7:03 PM, at which time they recessed. The Board reconvened in Open Session at 7:09 PM.
At roll call the following Board Members were present at Lovejoy Elementary School:
Chad Collins, President
Amy Smith, Vice-President
Anne Smith, Secretary
Al Litchenburg, Trustee
Barrett Owens, Trustee
Jeff Wood, Trustee
Marvin Bobo, Trustee
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Cabinet members attend all Board meetings. Cabinet members are as follows:
Dr. Dennis Womack, Interim Superintendent
Shay Adams, Chief Financial Officer
Sancy Fuller, Executive Director of Special Education and Academic Support
Dennis Muizers, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction
Dr. Laurie Vondersaar, Assistant Superintendent of Strategic Initiatives and Communication
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Each Board Meeting contains a dedicated time for public comments. There were 5 public comments:
· Stephanie Merrifield spoke in reference to the budget.
· Karla Gant spoke in reference to the budget.
· Kent Gardner spoke in reference to the budget.
· Ryan Jacob spoke in reference to the budget.
· Jeff Reinhard spoke in reference to the budget.
Board President Chad Collins shared that 430 community and staff members participated in the Superintendent Search Survey.
The survey data revealed the following top ten items that are important to the community and staff in a new Superintendent:
1. Proven track record of academic achievement for all student groups
2. Strong communicator
3. Experience as Assistant Superintendent or Superintendent in comparable
district
4. Ability to defend difficult decisions
5. Approachable and visible
6. Experience in meeting needs of high achieving students
7. Finance
8. Experience in Texas public education teaching and campus administration
9. Community advocate
10. Experience in facilities management
The Board approved the profile for the Superintendent Search and may post the position a few days prior to the projected timeline which is as follows:
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The Budget Workshop was presented by the following Cabinet members and may be found here.
- Shay Adams, Chief Financial Officer
- Dr. Dennis Womack, Interim Superintendent
- Dennis Muizers, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction
The following items were discussed during the budget presentation:
Lovejoy ISD is a school district of distinction and proud to offer educational experiences unlike any other in the State and even the Nation. Our academic excellence is not by chance but by design. The Lovejoy excellence is driven by hiring the very best teachers and staff, investing in their development, offering unique curriculum, programs and services above and beyond what traditional districts offer, and working collaboratively with our engaged and committed community.
School districts throughout Texas are funded based on the average daily attendance (ADA) of students attending their district. Regardless of property values or how much you pay in taxes, Lovejoy ISD is only funded approximately $8,300 per student from the State. As shared in our Board of Trustees Special Meeting and Budget Workshop on March 25th, out of all 15 Collin County school districts, Lovejoy ISD is ranked 11th lowest in funding per student, but ranked #1 in academic performance.
For this school year, Lovejoy ISD faces a budget shortfall and an anticipated shortfall for the 2021-2022 school year.
Several factors led to the shortfall of our budget this year. For the current school year, Lovejoy ISD approved a budget based on the district’s projected growth established by our demographer in January of 2020. The demographer forecasted a total district enrollment of 4,406 students. For the past 18 years, Lovejoy has used the demographers' projections for budget planning and campus staffing with a high degree of confidence due to their historical accuracy.
Unfortunately, as we all know, COVID emerged in the spring of 2020 and changed school districts' trajectory throughout the Nation. As a result, Lovejoy ISD saw a decline in students who were previously enrolled and did not experience the projected student growth anticipated. Lovejoy realized a decline of approximately 200 students from what was budgeted for the 2020-2021 school year. In addition, COVID hampered our ability to generate other local revenue we rely upon such as summer enrichment camps, camp-out events, ticket sales, etc. as part of the annual operational budget. Additionally, due to the enrollment decline, Lovejoy ISD is no longer considered a “Fast Growth” district by the state. The state recognizes the top 25% fastest growing school districts in the state and provides a “Fast Growth” allotment. For Lovejoy, losing the “Fast Growth” designation reduces our state funding by ~ $1M. The shortfall generated by the decline of enrollment, loss of local revenue, and added COVID expenditures is roughly $3.1M out of a $44M balanced budget passed last year.
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LISD recognized this shortfall in the fall of 2020 and, as a result, implemented a hiring freeze and reduced department and campus budgets by 15%. While there has been a lot of news about COVID assistance at the Federal and State level, LISD has only received around $11,000 in COVID relief funds. COVID reimbursements have been based on the amount of low socio-economic students the district is educating. Additionally, in December, the Texas Education Agency approved to extend a "Hold Harmless" provision for all school districts to help offset the effects of low enrollment and attendance due to COVID; however, Lovejoy ISD anticipates only receiving approximately $250,000. While this will help with the budget shortfall, Lovejoy is faced with looking at all options to both reduce expenses and raise revenue to offset the deficit.
To address the shortfall for this budget year, LISD will utilize our Fund Balance to help cover the $3.1M 2020 - 2021 potential loss. However, looking at the continued budget shortfall for the 2021 - 2022 school year, we know we must look at drastically reducing expenses, correcting inefficiencies, and exploring opportunities to increase revenue in order to balance the upcoming year budget which is currently projected with a $5M shortfall. The district has been and continues to explore all options for reducing expenditures while protecting the core essentials of the programs that ensure excellent and enriched student experiences unique to Lovejoy ISD.
Unfortunately, another financial concern is in pending legislation both in the Texas House and Senate. There are currently proposed companion bills that will prevent Lovejoy ISD from charging tuition for any student transferring into Lovejoy ISD. Our current Lovejoy Scholars program not only allows the district to realize ADA state funding for each student, but raises approximately $1M in tuition revenue. With a high likelihood we will no longer be able to legally charge tuition, LISD is anticipating a $6M shortfall for the 2021-2022 school year without instituting programmatic changes.
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The most reliable and predictable potential revenue option is to increase Average Daily Attendance (ADA) funding from the state by maximizing campus and classroom utilization through expanding Lovejoy Scholars with limited application transfer students. Lovejoy ISD would benefit from ADA state funding for accepting a specified number of students, based on the number of empty and available seats per grade level, who meet our rigorous academic, attendance, behavior, and code of conduct standards. This additional ADA state funding will help ensure Lovejoy ISD continues to offer all of our students the programs of distinction our community expects and deserves, of which, has helped build our strong academic and graduate profile reputation across the state. The district will include 265 limited application enrollment students in the 2021-2022 budgeted revenue, and will not exceed the Board-approved cap of 350 total students. 265 students shrinkages the $6M shortfall by approximately one-third.
To appropriately balance the budget for the remaining $4M shortfall, we know that we must also look at efficiencies in staffing throughout the district while minimizing the impact on our classrooms. During the March 25th Board meeting, Trustees declared a programmatic change that will enable the district to identify programmatic areas that may reduce staffing in specified areas. This includes looking at all programs offered within administration offices as well as campuses. During the April 12th Board meeting, recognized programs will be officially listed for reduction.
Additionally, as local housing prices continue to climb, we are experiencing a decline in student enrollment at the lower grade levels compared to our graduating senior classes. This decline is primarily a result of younger families, with elementary aged students being priced out of the Lovejoy housing market as they are unable to afford homes within the district. Therefore, LISD is exploring how to efficiently leverage underutilized campus capacities, specifically at the elementary level.
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During Thursday's board meeting, the district shared an efficiency opportunity to maximize campus capacities by restructuring the current Kindergarten through fourth-grade program. The proposal would realign the elementary grade level configuration to create an Early Childhood campus, K-2 campus, and 3-4 campus structure. Creating an Early Childhood campus would allow the district to expand the current Pre-K program and the Leopard daycare program that is licensed under a different state agency structure and does allow for an additional revenue stream for the district. Additionally, the instructional benefits of providing a K-2 campus and 3-4 campus will streamline instructional programs and provide increased teacher support and collaboration within grade levels. If the new structure were to be implemented, Lovejoy ISD would also provide shuttle transportation between campuses for the convenience of parents during morning drop-off and afternoon pickup.
As we continue to work through the budget process, we are thankful to our community for their continued support and trust.
Following the budget discussion, the Board of Trustees approved the following:
· A modification to the current Lovejoy Scholars Program which included grandfathering current Lovejoy Scholars who continue to meet admission criteria.
· A reduction in force due to one or more program changes that require nonrenewal and/or termination of one or more employees in accordance with Board policies.
· An early resignation incentive for positions funded by the General Fund.
Announcements included:
· Special thanks to Dr. Dennis Womack and his team for managing COVID, the current budget, and the future budget.
· The boys and girls soccer teams will compete in the playoffs.
· Congratulations to the LHS Theatre Arts Department for advancing to Bi-District in the UIL One Act Play Competition.
With there being no further business, the Board of Trustees adjourned at 10:19 PM.
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