The Judson ISD Board of Trustees on Oct. 9 approved a series of strategic goals to be achieved over the next four years.

The scorecard divides goals into four categories, consisting of:

• Student academic performance and success
• Faculty and staff
• Involvement of stakeholders
• Finance and operations

Conference highlights

One of the goals that caused tension on the board was the 10-5-3 plan to improve State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) scores by 2028.

This plan calls for a 10% increase in the number of students approaching grade level, a 5% increase in the number of students meeting grade level expectations, and a 5% increase in the number of students meeting grade level expectations. by 3%.

Kristin Saunders, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said the 10-5-3 metric is designed to include all students taking a STAAR or final exam.

“We need to develop goals that are achievable for everyone involved,” Saunders said.

Trustee Monica Ryan rejected that goal, claiming that if there had been a previous discussion about the 10-5-3, the entire board had not agreed on it during a meeting.

Trustee Laura Stanford said the numbers were lower than she would like and asked staff about alternative goals.

“I find (the goal) anemic and weak, particularly in a climate where we have serious concerns about voucher competition and charter competition,” Stanford said. “I don’t see it as very competitive.”

Ryan echoed this sentiment, claiming that the numbers set by the target were still below the national average.

Superintendent Milton “Rob” Fields III said the goals are a starting point and if the goals are met before the target dates, then the goals can be readjusted.

Dive deeper

In the discussion of finance and operations, staff expressed a plan to create a facilities assessment that would highlight facility needs at campus locations.

This plan is intended to help the district more proactively address predictable facility costs, such as: B. Roof replacements, modernization of gymnasiums and other long-term renovations.

The financial part of the approved objectives includes, in addition to the creation of the facilities, also long-term strategies for managing the budget.

One of Ryan’s concerns about the financial aspect of the goals was reducing the budget deficit by 1% per year compared to the previous year’s deficit.

Ryan said if the district continues to run deficit budgets over the next four years, it would result in a negative budget balance by the 2027-28 fiscal year.

According to the approved budget for fiscal year 2024-25, the fund balance will be approximately $66 million at the end of the fiscal year.

The original shortfall for fiscal year 2024-25 was about $36 million before the use of catastrophe pennies, reducing the shortfall to nearly $24 million.

Based on those numbers, with a 1% decrease from last year, the district would be looking at a savings of about $240,000 to $360,000 per year.

Fields said one of the ways to increase the district’s revenue would be to hold a tax rate election with voter approval to support future budgets.

This would be an estimated $0.03 increase in the tax rate, which would help raise approximately $12 million in additional revenue if voters approve the increase.

“We are in a situation where we need to increase the funding coming into the district,” Fields said. “But we can’t find a path to a balanced budget right now.”

Fields explained that the district is in a situation where a significant reduction in the deficit would result in the inability to provide students with a proper education.

“The board, I think, has made some pretty smart decisions about how competitive (we) will be in our pay in the region and throughout Bexar County,” Fields said.

Trustee José Macias emphasized that districts across the state are being negatively impacted by the lack of support from lawmakers and that the board should “hold the line” by continuing to provide services to students and employees.

“My opinion, and I’m almost certain my colleagues agree, is that we’re not going to make any cuts,” Macias said. “We will use every last dollar of our fund balance before we make any cuts because we are trying to provide a quality education.”

Ryan said approval of a VATRE or greater support from the state is a possibility and cannot be relied upon when planning future budgets.

District staff and the Board of Trustees have committed to starting the fiscal year 2025-26 budget process earlier than usual, with discussions expected in November.

Go forward

Trustees approved the reviewed goals 6-1, with Ryan voting against the motion.

The approved board goals and scorecard will be reviewed during strategic roundtables, where the focus will be on realigning goals if necessary, district staff said. The goals will also be incorporated into the superintendent’s evaluation process.

The full special meeting on board goals can be viewed here.