Employee medical plan examined for budget reductions
Superintendent Dr. Ryder Warren told trustees that district leaders are working on two proposals for budget reductions ahead of their Nov. 9 meeting — one for if the VATRE passes, and one for if it does not.

"We're going to create a budget like we've never created before," he told trustees. "We're going to change things in the district like we've not seen before.

Due to cuts in state funding and recapture (Robin Hood), Northwest ISD faces a $25 million budget deficit for the 2020-2021 school year.

District leaders shared changes made to the district's self-funded employee medical plan in an effort to lower costs and sustain the medical plan, which depleted its fund balance in 2019-2020. Their report also detailed how NISD's employee medical plan compared to TRS Health Care Benefits and the impact on employees if the self-funded plan was discontinued.

Trustees may consider action on the employee medical plan as part of upcoming budget workshops and discussions.

District Improvement Plan approved
Trustees unanimously approved the District Improvement Plan, after discussing it previously at the Sept. 28 board meeting.
 
The District Improvement Plan — which is required annually by Texas Education Code — outlines the ways district leaders plan to address nine performance objectives, including literacy, academic progress, diversity, COVID-19, fast-growth planning, staff recruitment, safety and security, financial reform and transparency, and college, career, military and life readiness. To see the entire plan, click here.
 
Class-size exemption waivers approved
Northwest ISD closely monitors class sizes and attempts to balance all kindergarten to fourth-grade classrooms at a ratio of 22 students per teacher. If classrooms exceed this ratio, districts may submit class-size exemption waivers. Trustees approved the waivers.

Approving the waivers allows students in these classrooms to continue with their current teachers, eliminating the need to move students to new classrooms during the school year.

Campus improvement goals and objectives discussed
To ensure continuous advancement, campuses annually create goals and objectives designed to improve student performance. Trustees heard and discussed these items, part of campus improvement plans, as part of a yearly process to best meet student needs.

Trustees will vote whether to approve the plans at their Nov. 9 meeting. To see all campus improvement plans, click here.

Reports, discussions addressed by board
District leadership presented the following subjects to the board as a report or discussion:

  • Delinquent tax collections and turnover analysis for 2019-2020.

To view reports or discussion presentations from board meetings, click here.

In other action, the board

  • Approved a proposal from Finalsite to redesign and host the district website.
  • Approved an agreement with Tarrant County College District for college preparatory courses.