Board Notes

Presentations and Recognitions

Dr. Charlene Parham, Denton ISD Receive Awards from Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve
Denton ISD and Dr. Charlene Parham, Area Superintendent of the Guyer High Zone, both received awards from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR).

Dr. Parham received the ESGR Patriot Award for her support of Dr. Landon Turrbuiarte – who was recently named principal of Stephens Elementary – while he was in the National Guard. The Patriot Award reflects the efforts made to support citizen warriors through a wide-range of measures including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families, and granting leaves of absence if needed.

In addition, the ESGR also recognized Denton ISD and Dr. Susannah Holbert O’Bara, Superintendent of Schools, with the Above and Beyond Award, 

The Above and Beyond Award is presented by ESGR State Committees to recognize employers at the local level who have gone above and beyond the legal requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act by providing their Guard and Reserve employees additional, non-mandated benefits such as differential or full pay to offset lost wages, extended health benefits, and other similar benefits. The award is given in limited numbers by State Committees to employers who have had at least one of their supervisors/managers recognized with a Patriot Award, and who have signed or agree to sign an ESGR Statement of Support. 

Guyer High Theater Department Wins State Awards
The Guyer High School theater department received multiple awards from Broadway Dallas, Casa Manana Betty Buckley and Schmidt & Jones.

The Broadway Dallas High School Musical Theater Awards aim to inspire and honor excellence in high school musical theater while recognizing the importance of musical theater and arts education in North Texas.

Students and educators are recognized with an annual awards ceremony modeled after the Tony Awards and include both performance and production categories. The qualifying performances are scored by a select group of adjudicators with backgrounds in various art forms in education, music, theater, dance and related fields. Adjudicators follow rubric criteria to determine the winners in each category

The Betty Lynn Buckley Awards are named after Fort Worth’s own Tony Award-winning Best Actress and Casa Mañana alumna, Betty Lynn Buckley. This scholarship awards program has celebrated the best in high school performing arts since 2000. A panel of distinguished judges – composed of local theater professionals and educators – votes for a winner in 17 award categories.

Established in 2010, and named after composer Harvey Schmidt and lyricist Tom Jones, the Schmidt & Jones Awards honor excellence in high school musical theatre in Dallas-Fort Worth. 

This year, Denton ISD had award-winners in three Broadway Dallas categories, two Betty Buckley categories and one Schmidt & Jones category. 

Public Hearing for 2025-2026 Budget and Tax Rate
Jennifer Stewart, Executive Director of Budget, reviewed the budget and tax rate for 2025-2026. Ms. Stewart noted the district’s approach to the budget, which included zero-based budgeting across all departments, requiring justification for existing and new spend, maximizing revenue sources and a conservative approach to calculation of the average daily attendance (ADA), which is the rate that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) uses to fund public schools. 

Regarding the 2025-2026 tax rate, Ms. Stewart explained that the tax rate is not adopted until September, and it is based on current law, assuming the tax rate remains at the tax floor. For 2025-2026, the total budgeted tax rate is $1.1174 – which would be a potential decrease of $0.0395 from the district’s 2024-2025 tax rate of $1.1569. 

Lastly, Ms. Stewart explained the difference between the House and Senate versions of HB2. The House version would have required districts to pass along 40 percent of revenue gain as salary/compensation increases, with 75 percent for salary increases to teachers, counselors, librarians and nurses, and 5 percent to other non-administrative employees. The Senate version of HB2 provides uniform pay increases for classroom teachers. For districts with enrollment of 5,001 or more, teachers with three to four years of experience receive a $2,500 raise, while teachers with five or more years of experience receive a $5,000 raise. The Senate version also adds new support staff retention allotment of $45 per ADA for non-teacher, non-admin full-time and part-time positions. 

1925 Advisory Committee Update
Dr. Gina Anderson, Aaron Layman and Greg Petolick, community volunteers from the 1925 Advisory Committee, provided an update on the meetings, which began in September 2024. Key takeaways from the meetings were Denton ISD adopted a $19,917,396 deficit budget for 2024-2025 while seeing a nearly constant increase in enrollment over the past six years. District staff is composed of 53 percent teachers, 17 percent paraprofessionals, 14 percent auxiliary, 12 percent professional and support services, 3 percent campus administration and 1 percent district administration. The three lenses of consideration for the committee were maintaining a focus on teaching and learning, long-term viability for Denton ISD and making a substantial impact to the district’s overall budget.

Considerations from the committee included elimination of certain extra and co-curricular activities and programs, which would save upwards of $250,000. Middle school and high school all contents teaching 7 of 8 periods for a savings of a combined nearly $7.5 million and variations on Voter Approved Tax Ratification Elections (VATREs). A VATRE for two golden pennies would result in $10,521,779 in additional revenue, while a VATRE for two golden and one copper penny would result in $16,072,059 in additional revenue. 

Discussion of Legislative Update and TASB Advocacy Resolution
Dr. Deron Robinson, General Counsel, provided Trustees with a legislative update and TASB advocacy resolution. Dr. Robinson noted the deficit areas in Denton ISD, including Pre-K programming, special education, transportation and safety and security. In the 89th Legislative Session, 9,014 bills were filed. 1,482 were public education bills and 107 passed. 

HB 2 provided $3.7 billion for teacher pay raises, $500 million for non-administrator raises and $1.3 billion for the new Allotment for Basic Costs. 

Regarding HB 4, the House voted to make the STAAR test optional and allow districts to utilize year-round normative tests that could be used by teachers as diagnostic tools. The Senate would not agree to get rid of the STAAR test. 

Discussion of 2025-2026 Student and Parent Handbook
Dr. Lesli Guajardo, Director of District and Student Support Services, provided Trustees with an update on the 2025-2026 Student and Parent Handbook as it relates to Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code.

Updates to the 2025-2026 Student and Parent Handbook include class rank/highest ranking student on page 37 and 38, college and university admission on page 39, college credit courses on page 39 and 40 and reading and match intervention on page 83. 

Discussion of 2025-2026 Student Code of Conduct
Dr. Jeff Russell, Area Superintendent, provided Trustees with an update on the 2025-2026 Student Code of Conduct. Dr. Russell reviewed cell phone guideline changes, which currently, for instructional and safety purposes, Denton ISD permits students to possess personal mobile telephones; however, these devices must remain turned off during the instructional day, including during all testing, unless they are being used for approved instructional purposes. 

The proposed guideline would be for instructional purposes, Denton ISD will be the sole provider of instructional technology, and use of technology during the school day is limited to district provided technology. Denton ISD permits the possession of cell phones and personal telecommunications devices on campus such as laptops, tables or other portable computers. Use of each of these items is strictly prohibited without approval of a principal or classroom teacher. These devices should remain off and not visible during the school day. 

Regarding violent offenses consideration, current guidelines include persistent offenses (two or more previous suspensions) for fighting (42.01, 6) will result in DAEP placement, and offenses for assault will result in a three-day suspension and DAEP placement. Proposed guidelines include fighting (first offense) may result in a DAEP placement, and persistent offenses (two or more previous suspensions) for fighting or assault (42.01, 6) will result in DAEP placement. 

Discussion of Health ASO and Healthcare Planning
Christopher Bomberger, Executive Director of Risk Management and Child Nutrition, provided Trustees with an update on employee benefits. Mr. Bomberger detailed the employee health clinic utilization over the past two years, noting the clinic has provided more than 7,000 exam visits for a total savings of more than $1.1 million. Mr. Bomberger also explained the impact of MyChart, which was implemented July 29, 2024. In that time, 634 employees have booked through the app. 

Regarding insurance for the 2025-2026 school year, the premiums for each plan are as follows:

High deductible
Employee only: $353.96/month, a $77.60 increase
Employee + spouse: $1,253.65/month, a $109.24 increase
Employee + child: $783.85/month, a $131.94 increase
Family: $1,711.85/month, a $249.24 increase

HMO Platinum
Employee only: $433.36/month, an $87.64 increase
Employee + spouse: $1,555.50/month, a $229.48 increase
Employee + child: $918.83/month, a $149 increase
Family: $1,966.85/month, a $281.47 increase

HMO Gold
Employee only: $310.65/month, a $72.13 increase
Employee + spouse: $1,183.60/month, a $138.22 increase
Employee + child: $710.25/month, a $122.64 increase
Family: $1,572.81/month, a $231.67 increase

Bond Progress Report
Community volunteer Dean Anthony provided Trustees with a bond progress report based on a recent review by the committee. A team of community members review financial statements, building plans and any adjustments that have occurred each quarter to ensure the projects materialize as they were portrayed to the community. The process is an additional level of transparency that is a common practice of the district.

Growth Report
Zonda, the district’s demographer, provided the Denton ISD quarterly growth report for the first quarter of 2025. Zonda noted local economic developments, including the opening of a H-E-B grocery store at the northeast corner of I-35 West and Robson Road, with construction expected to be completed mid-2026. 

Zonda also noted that, as was the case in the fourth quarter growth report, Denton ISD continues to rank as one of the fastest growing school districts in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex in terms of annual starts and closings, currently ranking fourth overall in DFW. 

Zonda also explained that Denton ISD currently has 51 actively building subdivisions, with 25 future subdivisions in various stages of planning with over 3,500 lots available to build on. Denton ISD is forecasted to enroll nearly 36,000 students by 2029-30 and more than 38,400 by 2034-35.

Construction Report
Brandon Boytner, Denton ISD Executive Director of Construction, Planning and Growth, provided an update on active construction projects ongoing in the district including Hill and Reeves Elementary Schools, the Denton, Ryan, Braswell and Guyer High Multipurpose Facilities, High School No. 5, the Borman Elementary replacement campus and the track and fields at Harpool, Navo and Strickland Middle School. Mr. Boyter also detailed various summer projects including the W.S. Ryan and Hodge Elementary renovations, C.H. Collins facility upgrades, Crownover, Harpool and McMath Middle School facility upgrades, Providence and Stephens Elementary School facility upgrades and the roofing at E.P. Rayzor and the Stephens Administration Building. 

Attendance Report - Period 6
Dr. Lesli Guajardo, Director of District and Student Support Services, provided an update on the 6th period attendance report, noting the average daily attendance (ADA) was 93.6 percent.

2024-2025 End of Year Attendance Report
Dr. Guajardo provided Trustees with the 2024-2025 End of Year Attendance Report. ADA for the 2024-2025 school year was 94.39 percent.

End of Year Discipline Report
Dr. Jeff Russell, Area Superintendent, provided Trustees with a 2023-2024 End of Year Discipline Report. From 2024 to 2025, Denton ISD’s total DAEP placements decreased from 776 to 685.

Federal Grant Awards for the Current School Year
Trustees were provided public notice of federal grant applications through a presentation to Trustees. Federal awards for the 2024-2025 school year included: the Child Care and Development Block - Wage Supplement Grant, Head Start, Title I, Part A; Title I, Part C; Title I, Part D, Subpart 2 and 13 others.

2025-2026 Compensation Plan
Jason Rainey, Interim Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, provided Trustees with information regarding salary increases for Denton ISD for the 2025-2026 school year. The proposed recommendation will include a general pay increase for all employees and equity adjustments for employees whose salary is below the market median. 

The general pay increase models for consideration provide for either a 2 or 3 percent increase of each pay grade midpoint for all employees. Each classroom teacher will receive a pay increase in alignment with House Bill 2 requirements. 

Intruder Detection Audit
Dr. Susannah O’Bara, Superintendent of Schools, provided an update on the recent Intruder Detection Audits conducted by the Texas School Safety Center. Further detail was provided to the board in executive session for safety and security.

Presentations and Recognitions

Braswell High’s Jordan Doty Named 2025 UIL Press Conference Photo Editor of the Year
Braswell High School’s Jordan Doty was named the 2025 UIL Press Conference (UIL PC) Photo Editor of the Year, earning the top honor among high school photojournalists across the state of Texas. 

The UIL PC, housed at The University of Texas at Austin, recognizes top-performing student journalists in various editorial and leadership roles each year. The Photo Editor of the Year award highlights individuals who not only demonstrate technical skill behind the lens but also showcase editorial vision and mentorship in their newsrooms.

Jordan, who serves as the lead photographer and photo editor for The Ambush, Braswell’s yearbook publication, was selected for his exceptional eye for storytelling through photography, consistent leadership, and commitment to journalistic excellence. He also contributes sports photography for Dave Campbell’s Texas Football and has built a reputation for capturing dynamic, emotionally compelling images on and off the field.

Ryan High’s Kailyn Head Wins Class 5A Title in 100-, 300-Meter Hurdles
Ryan High School’s Kailyn Head defended her Class 5A state championship in the 300-meter hurdles at the UIL State Track and Field championships on May 3. Kailyn won gold as a junior in 2024, and she claimed the title again this year as a senior, finishing the race in 42.53 seconds.

In addition, Kailyn also won the 5A championship in the 100-meter hurdles. Kailyn clocked a time of 13.60 seconds to win the title, winning the race by one, one-hundredth of a second. 

24 Denton ISD Students Receive All-State Honors at VASE Competition
Twenty-four Denton ISD students received all-state honors in the Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) – an annual competition with nearly 35,000 entries. Academically eligible high school students in grades 9-12 can participate in VASE.

Students create artwork, write about their creative processes and understanding of visual art, and articulate information about their artwork during an interview with a VASE juror, who evaluates their work using a standards-based rubric. To qualify for state, students must attend a regional event and have their original artwork with them at the event.

All 24 Denton ISD students earned an Exemplary rating of 4 at state VASE, earning them all-state recognition. In addition, there were only 164 Gold Seal awards statewide, with Denton ISD receiving two. 

Six Denton ISD Educators Honored for National Board Certification
National Board Certification is the most respected professional certification available in education and provides numerous benefits to teachers, students and schools. It was designed to develop, retain and recognize accomplished teachers and to generate ongoing improvement in schools nationwide.

Established in 1987, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is an independent, nonprofit organization working to advance accomplished teaching for all students. The founding mission of the National Board is to advance the quality of teaching and learning by:

• Maintaining high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do;
• Providing a national voluntary system certifying teachers who meet these standards;
• Advocating related education reforms to integrate National Board Certification in American education and to capitalize on the expertise of National Board Certified Teachers.

To become a Board-certified teacher, eligible candidates must demonstrate advanced knowledge, skills, and practice in their individual certificate area by completing four components: three portfolio entries and a computer-based assessment.

Currently, Denton ISD has six National Board Certified Teachers, including: Shelley Maxwell, principal of Cross Oaks Elementary; Ashley Horn, fourth-grade teacher at Sandbrock Ranch Elementary; Sarah Overstreet, English as a Second Language (ESL) Specialist st Adkins and E.P. Rayzor Elementary; Kathryn Jones, inclusion teacher at Blanton Elementary; Yvette Walker, journalism teacher at Rodriguez Middle School and Philana Williams, ESL teacher at Nelson Elementary. 

Board Spotlight

Robert Foster Recognized for Work With Students
Each day, Robert Foster is intentional about getting to know everyone who gets on his bus – fostering meaningful connections with every student he drives to the LaGrone Academy.

Mr. Foster has left such an impression that one of these LaGrone students, Wantan Montgomery, selected Mr. Foster as his Educator of Influence. Mr. Foster was recognized for his work several weeks ago at the annual Educator of Influence ceremony, where dozens of Denton ISD educators are celebrated for the work they do positively impacting the lives of students. 

Discussion of 2025-2026 Budget
Jennifer Stewart, Executive Director of Budget, provided Trustees with an update on the 2025-2026 budget. Ms. Stewart detailed the district’s average daily attendance history since 2015-2016, noting the budgeted ADA for 2024-2025 was 31,075, while the refined ADA was 30,697,320. For 2025-2026, the district’s budgeted ADA is 30,800. Ms. Stewart also explained the difference between the 2024-2025 adopted budget versus the projected final budget. As of May 6, the current expenditure budget is $351,174,567, while the estimated expenditure budget is $346,719,567. The projected revenue budget is $327,147,205. 

2025-2026 general fund assumptions include 9.5 percent in property value growth, 30,800 ADA and a 1 percent growth in student populations (special education, CTE, bilingual, etc) The 9.5 percent property value growth equates to $2,919,627,553. Under current law, the estimated total revenue for 2025-2026 is $323,624,331. If HB2 is passed and the basic allotment is increased from $6,160 to $6,555, total revenue is estimated to increase to $340,781,694 for an increase of $17,157,363. 

Under current law, projected 2025-2026 total expenditures are $345,129,267, while revenue is $323,624,331. If HB2 is passed, including the required minimum salary increase, the variance between revenue and expenditures would be $10,733,813 versus $21,504,936. 

Discussion of Potential Compensation Plan
Jason Rainey, Interim Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, provided Trustees with a 2025-2026 potential compensation plan. Mr. Rainey detailed how Denton ISD compared to market peers in terms of student enrollment and the number of full-time employees. Mr. Rainey also noted the distribution of total experience among teachers and instructional staff, explaining 25 percent have between 1-5 years of experience. Mr. Rainey further detailed what 2, 3 and 4 percent potential pay increases to the mid-point would result in. 

Discussion of Legislative Update
Dr. Deron Robinson, General Counsel, provided Trustees with a legislative update. Dr. Robinson noted that HB2 would increase the basic allotment to $6,555, an increase of $395. Dr. Robinson also explained that CSSB260 would increase the per student school safety allotment from $10 to $28 and the per-campus allotment from $15,000 to $30,000. HB4 would replace STAAR in grades 3-8 with shorter, norm-referenced tests.

Discussion of Property Insurance
Christopher Bomberger, Executive Director of Risk Management and Child Nutrition, provided Trustees with an update on property insurance. Mr. Bomberger compared how Denton ISD compares with surrounding school districts with $500 million in total insured value, noting Denton ISD has $2,274,695,957 in total insured value. Mr. Bomberger also compared Denton ISD’s property rate comparison with other districts that have $500 million in total value insured, explaining that Denton ISD’s rate of 0.20 is lower than the average rate of 0.29. 

Teacher Incentive Allotment Update
Trustees were provided with an update on the Teacher Incentive Allotment. 

3rd Quarter Investment Report
Trustees were provided the district’s investment report for the 2nd quarter of the fiscal year 2025. As of March 31 the combined book value of investments for the District's general fund, debt service funds, capital projects funds, and special revenue funds total $1,075,059,664.

Intruder Detection Audit
Dr. Susannah O’Bara, Superintendent of Schools, provided an update on the recent Intruder Detection Audits conducted by the Texas School Safety Center. Further detail was provided to the board in executive session for safety and security.

 

Presentations and Recognitions

Guyer High School Student Qualifies for American Invitational Mathematics Exam
Guyer High School’s Benjamin Marshall qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME), a 15-question, three-hour test given only to those who rank in the top 2.5 percent on the American Mathematics Competition (AMC). 

The purpose of this exam is to distinguish the top math students from across the country to be members of the United States Math Olympiad Team. 

The use of calculators is not allowed on the test, with only pencils, erasers, rulers and compasses permitted. Concepts typically covered in the competition include elementary algebra, geometry, trigonometry, number theory and probability. 

Benjamin is only the third Guyer student to qualify for this exam, and he is the first student to do so as a junior. 

CoServ Charitable Foundation Donates $35,000 to Denton Public School Foundation
The CoServ Charitable Foundation has been a longtime supporter of Denton ISD. This year, the CoServ Charitable Foundation donated $35,000 to the Denton Public School Foundation (DPSF).

The $35,000 donation will be used for the DPSF to provide various grants and scholarships to students and teachers. Earlier this fall, the DPSF provided $151,914 across 145 different scholarships and grants. Those scholarships and grants were awarded to 150 Denton ISD teachers and staff members across 42 campuses.

Discussion of 2025-2026 Budget
Jennifer Stewart, Executive Director of Budget, provided Trustees with an update on the 2025-2026 budget. Ms. Stewart detailed Denton ISD’s tax rate history, noting that the district has decreased the total tax rate more than $0.38 since 2018-2019. Ms. Stewart also explained the difference between Maintenance and Operations (M&O) and Interest and Sinking (I&S) tax rates. M&O is used for teacher salaries, classroom supplies, utilities and transportation, while I&S is used for capital expenditures, land, construction and renovation, technology and new buses. 

In addition, Ms. Stewart provided the district’s historical interest and sinking tax rate comparison, as well as the debt services fund balance dating back to 2017-2018. She also noted the savings Denton ISD has provided taxpayers over the last 20 years, explaining the district has saved $316,899,975 since 2005. 

Discussion of Remaining 2023 Bond Financing Plan
Josh McLaughlin of BOK Financial Securities provided Trustees with an update on the remaining 2023 bond financing plan. Denton ISD has completed one sale from the 2023 bond program, totaling $1,036,485,000. Denton ISD has $381,996,928 of bonds remaining to be sold from the 2023 Bond ($352,307,930 from Proposition A and $29,688,998 from Proposition B.) Neither Proposition A or Proposition B from the May 2023 bond referendum generated a tax rate increase. 

Discussion of Legislative Update
Dr. Deron Robinson, General Counsel, provided Trustees with a legislative update. Dr. Robinson noted CSSB 260 would increase the per student safety allotment from $10 to $28 and the per campus allotment from $15,000 to $30,000. Dr. Robinson also explained HB 4623, which would strip school districts of governmental immunity. HB 19 would require bond elections to be held in November and limits the maximum annual debt to 20 percent of an amount equal to the average of the amount of property tax collections for the three preceding years. 

Discussion of Early Childhood and Pre-K Update
Cecilia Holt, Director of Early Childhood, provided Trustees with a Pre-K update. Ms. Holt noted the growth in enrollment year over year from 2021 to 2025. Currently, Denton ISD has 1,761 students enrolled in early childhood education. In addition, Ms. Holt noted student growth in the following three academic areas: knowing 20 or more letters of the alphabet, producing 20 or more sounds and blending sounds together to make words. Ms. Holt explained these areas support Denton ISD’s board goal that students demonstrate evidence of reading on grade level by 3rd grade. As of April 14, there were 670 4-year-olds enrolled for the 2025-2026 school year, with 259 of those students coming from the Braswell Zone. 

Discussion of Board Operating Procedures
The Denton ISD Board of Trustees reviewed proposed revisions to the board operating procedures. 

Announcement of Board Continuing Education Hours
Since 1996, the State Board of Education (SBOE) has required the board president to make a public announcement each year of the names of those board members who have completed the required continuing education, who has exceeded the required hours of continuing education, and who is deficient in meeting the required continuing education as of the anniversary of the date of each board member's election or appointment to the board. In June 2018, the Legislature amended the provisions to require that during the last regular meeting of the board of trustees before an election of trustees, the minutes reflect whether each board member has fulfilled their training requirements as of the date of the meeting.

Denton ISD Board President Barbara Burns announced each Denton ISD trustee has exceeded the State Board of Education requirement for the minimum number of hours required annually. 

5th Period Attendance Report
Dr. Lesli Guajardo, Director of District and Student Support Services, provided an update on the 5th period attendance report. The average daily attendance (ADA) for the 5th period was 94.51 percent. 

Intruder Detection Audit
Dr. Susannah O’Bara, Superintendent of Schools, provided an update on the recent Intruder Detection Audits conducted by the Texas School Safety Center.

Presentations and Recognitions

Seven Strickland Middle School Students Selected for American Choral Directors Association National Honor Choir
Seven Strickland Middle School students were selected to the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Honor Choir. Less than 1,200 total students from across the country were selected for this prestigious recognition after a rigorous audition process. 

The students performed with the choir at the ACDA National Convention, which was held in Dallas March 19-22. The seven Strickland Middle School students selected for the National Honor Choir were as follows:

Juliet Bridge, 8th Grade, 8-10 Treble Honor Choir
Abby Oliphant, 8th Grade, 8-10 Treble Honor Choir
Declan Martino, 8th Grade, 7-10 Tenor Bass Choir
Adrian Rivera-Garcia, 8th Grade, 7-10 Tenor Bass Choir
Cade Tolin, 8th Grade, 7-10 Tenor Bass Choir
Jovannie Wester, 7th Grade, 7-10 Tenor Bass Choir
Sela Longoria, 7th Grade, 5-7 Treble Honor Choir

Community Spotlight

NCTC Nursing Recognized for Work with Denton ISD
Each year, the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) honors businesses, organizations and individuals for their support and exceptional advocacy of public schools. This statewide honor, as part of “Stand Up for Texas Public Schools,” recognizes local businesses and community organizations that partner with school districts, making a difference in the lives of public-school students.

The North Central Texas College’s (NCTC) nursing program has been a longtime supporter of Denton ISD, partnering with the district in a variety of capacities. Over the last two years, NCTC’s nursing program has collaborated with Denton ISD to provide physicals at both of the district’s annual Back-to-School fairs.

In addition, the NCTC nursing program hosted a teddy bear clinic at Blanton Elementary last spring to educate students about the medical profession, as well as participating in Read Across America at various schools. 

For the unique way NCTC’s nursing program has assisted our district and for going above and beyond to assist our students and staff, we wish to thank NCTC for their continued support. 

Discussion of Workers' Compensation Renewal
Chris Bomberger, Executive Director of Child Nutrition and Risk Management, provided Trustees with an update on workers' compensation renewal. 

Mr. Bomberger noted the consistent increase in policy cost over the past six years, from $96,129 in 2019 to $270,834 in 2025. When comparing aggregate deductibles, the district’s 2025 TASB policy totaled $859,737, with a maximum exposure of $1,130,591. For 2026, the TASB policy’s aggregate deductible would be $805,999, with a maximum exposure of $1,044,021 and an annual rate guarantee. The Claims Administrative Services (CAS) policy for 2026 includes a $1,000,000 aggregate deductible with a 5-year rate guarantee and $1,240,379 in maximum exposure. 

Presentations and Recognitions

Denton ISD Named District of Distinction by Texas Art Education Association
Denton ISD has been named a District of Distinction by the Texas Art Education Association (TAEA) and the Visual Art Administrators of Texas. The award honors school districts that are leading the way in visual arts and is given to districts for outstanding leadership in promoting the arts in their district and community. 

Less than 110 school districts in the state of Texas earned the distinction, which is judged by a committee of TAEA members and administrators from across the State.

Denton ISD Earns Texas Thespians Premiere Communities for Theatre Education Award, Exemplary District of Distinction and Exemplary High School of Distinction
Denton ISD has earned the Texas Thespians Premiere Communities for Theatre Education Award, which recognizes school districts that make outstanding contributions to raising the standards for theater education. 

In addition, the district also received the Exemplary District of Distinction and Exemplary High School of Distinction for Braswell High School. 

Denton ISD was one of only 20 districts statewide to receive the Exemplary District of Distinction award, which is the highest distinction possible. Districts that earn this award provide theatre programs with the resources to achieve above standard, as rooted in the Educational Theatre Association’s Opportunity to Learn Standards, Texas Theatre Knowledge and Skills for Fine Arts (TEKS), and support of International Thespian Society Troupe involvement.

Two Denton ISD Students’ Artwork Recognized at Youth Art Month
Artwork by two Denton ISD students was selected to be featured in the Spring Exhibition at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. 

Karissa Theile from Denton High School and Kahira Mora-Delgado from Stephens Elementary were two of only 100 students from across Texas whose artwork was selected for this prestigious recognition.

Board Spotlight

Ryan High School Girls Basketball Team Wins Class 5A Division I State Championship
The Ryan High School girls basketball team won the Class 5A Division I state championship on March 1. Behind a 24-point performance from Kaylin Jackson, the Lady Raiders beat San Antonio Wagner 58-47 to win the title – becoming the first girls basketball team in Denton ISD history to win a state championship. 

Kaylin was named the MVP of the title game. In addition to her 24 points, Kaylin also tallied eight rebounds. Ryan ended its season on a 13-game winning streak, with the Lady Raiders’ impressive defense paving the way to them hoisting the trophy. Ryan held its opponents to just 40.1 points per game in the playoffs.

Guyer High School Boys Basketball Team Wins Class 6A Division II State Championship
The Guyer High School boys basketball team won the Class 6A Division II state championship on March 8. 

The Wildcats defeated Katy Jordan 48-47 behind a 20-point performance from Silas Rodriguez. Silas was named MVP of the title game, making the winning 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds left. Guyer ended the season on an 11-game winning streak, finishing the year with a 34-7 overall record.

Discussion of 2025-2026 Budget
Jennifer Stewart, Executive Director of Budget, provided Trustees with an update on the 2025-2026 budget. Ms. Stewart detailed the budget calendar, including important upcoming dates. Ms. Stewart also explained the comparison of certified total value growth and comptroller property tax division growth by percentage. For 2024-2025, certified value growth was 10.8 percent, while the comptroller property tax division growth was 9.5 percent. 

Ms. Stewart also provided property value growth history year over year dating back to 2016-2017, noting the linear increase. From 2023-2024 to 2024-2025, prior year certified values grew from $24,853,496,991 to $27,695,000,720, while new taxable value grew from $1,592,794,809 to $2,048,420,759. Ms. Stewart also explained that homestead exemptions increased from $40,000 per year to $100,000 per year beginning in the tax year 2023-2024. 

In addition, Ms. Stewart provided a comparison of local property tax collections and state funding, noting that as local tax collections increased, state funding decreased. For 2024-2025, local tax collections were $230,393,719 and state funding was $81,169,879 – a nearly $15 million decrease in state funding from 2023-2024 due to a roughly $23 million increase in local property tax collections. 

Discussion of Energy Audit
Paul Andress, Executive Director of Operations, provided Trustees with a report of the district’s utility management for all its facilities from July 2024 to December 2024. The report included total consumption and cost comparison, analysis by utility type, and percentage change of energy use. 

Compared to July 2023 to December 2023, Denton ISD’s total energy costs rose from $5,403,056 to $6,144,887 – a 12.1 percent and $741,831 increase.

Discussion of Legislative Session Update
Dr. Deron Robinson, General Counsel, provided Trustees with an update on the current legislative session. Dr. Robinson detailed upcoming initiatives, including Lone Star Advocacy with Denton ISD’s Council of PTAs and Raise Your Hand Texas on March 27 at 6 p.m., as well as Denton County Days on April 2-3. Dr. Robinson also explained an advocacy toolkit for how to support public education, including learning the facts, contacting legislators and spreading awareness. As of March 14, there have been 8,905 bills filed with 1,493 bills about public education. 

Bond Progress Report
Tanya Wright, a volunteer member of the 2023 Citizens Advisory Committees, provided an update on the progress of the 2023 Capital Improvement Plan from the community’s perspective. Ms. Wright outlined the committee’s review of the financial report, technology implementation, land acquisition, newly added facilities and the facilities currently under construction.

Construction Report
Caleb Straughan, Construction Coordinator, provided an update on current construction projects ongoing in the district. Mr. Straughan detailed active construction timelines for Borman Elementary, High School No. 5, Reeves Elementary and the Braswell High School multipurpose facility. 

4th Period Attendance Report
Dr. Lesli Guajardo, Director of District and Student Support Services, provided Trustees with the 4th period attendance report. The average daily attendance (ADA) for the 4th period attendance report was 92.81 percent. 

Intruder Detection Audit Report
Dr. Susannah O’Bara, Superintendent of Schools, provided an update on the recent Intruder Detection Audits conducted by the Texas School Safety Center. Further detail was provided to the board in executive session for safety and security.

Presentations and Recognitions

12 Denton ISD Students Selected for All-State Band, Choir, Orchestra, Jazz
Twelve Denton ISD musicians earned All-State honors for the 2024-2025 school year from the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA).

TMEA is an organization of more than 12,000 school music educators committed to promoting excellence in music education. Musicians earn the prestigious honor of all-state through a competitive selection process held across Texas at the district, region, and area levels. This process begins statewide with auditions hosted by 33 TMEA regions.

Individual musicians perform selected music for a panel of judges who rank each instrument or voice part. From this ranking, a select group of musicians advance from their region to compete against musicians from areas in eight TMEA Area competitions. The highest-ranking musicians judged at the area competition qualify to perform in a TMEA All-State music group.

All-State is the highest honor a Texas music student can achieve. Only 1,875 students are selected through a process beginning with over 70,000 students – meaning only the top 2.6 percent of musicians who initially audition become All-State musicians.

Bell Elementary Named 2023-2025 National PTA School of Excellence
Bell Elementary has been named a 2023-2025 National PTA School of Excellence, an honor that aims to provide a framework for PTAs to identify and implement best practices in family engagement to strengthen family-school partnerships.

Bell Elementary was one of only 84 schools in Texas to earn the distinction for 2023-2025. Less than 400 schools nationwide received the honor.

The National PTA’s School of Excellence program supports and celebrates partnerships with PTAs and schools that work to improve the educational experience and school environment for every child. To become a School of Excellence, a school’s PTA and administrative team must work together to welcome all families, communicate effectively, support student success, speak up for every child, share power and collaborate with the community.

25th Anniversary of Ryan High Boys Basketball State Championship Celebrated
In March 2000, the Ryan High School boys basketball team defeated Dallas Madison 80-69 to claim the Class 4A state championship. 

The Raiders posted an impressive 30-6 overall record during their 1999-2000 campaign, winning what remains to be the only boys basketball title in school history. At the time, Ryan’s boys basketball state championship was also the first title in any sport at Ryan. 

This team will be honored later in March at the UIL boys basketball state championships at the Alamodome in San Antonio, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Raiders cutting down the nets. 

Discussion of 2025-2026 Budget
Dr. Jeremy Thompson, Deputy Superintendent, provided Trustees with an overview of the 2025-2026 budget as it pertains to student data. Dr. Thompson noted the bilingual allotment has remained stagnant over the past several years, while bilingual average daily attendance (ADA) continues to steadily increase. Dr. Thompson also detailed allotments compared to student counts and ADA for compensatory education, career and technology, dyslexia, early education and college, career and military readiness. Generally, across each of those categories, allotment has remained stagnant despite increasing enrollment. 

Dr. Thompson explained that since 2020-2021, the fast growth allotment Denton ISD has decreased from $7,102,644 to an estimated $3,783,210 for 2024-2025 despite the district continuing to rank as one of the fastest growing districts in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. 

Discussion of Family and Employee Engagement Survey
Julie Zwahr, Chief Communications Officer, and Emily McLarty, Director of Staff Engagement, provided Trustees with the results of the family and employee engagement surveys. 

Regarding employee engagement, Ms. McLarty explained there was an overall decrease in engagement from 4.06 in 2023-2024 to 3.98 in 2024-2025. Ms. McLarty noted the two highest engaged employee groups are first-year staff members and those who have been with Denton ISD for 10 or more years. 

Regarding family engagement, Ms. Zwahr noted Denton ISD’s engagement scores across all five categories – school environment, academic standards, strength and development, school communications and school leadership – increased from 2023-2024 to 2024-2025. Respondents also answered the following unique question: “How long has your family lived in Denton ISD?” 

Of those who responded, 30.3 percent indicated they have lived in the district for more than 10 years, 25.3 percent indicated they have lived in the district for 3-5 years, 22.2 percent indicated they have lived in the district for 5-10 years, 13.1 percent indicated they have lived in the district for 1-2 years and 9.1 percent indicated they have lived in the district for less than a year. 

Ms. Zwahr also provided an update on the newly formed Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, which consists of 20 students from the district’s six high schools. The council will provide a monthly collaboration opportunity and communication directly with students. 

Discussion of Legislative Session Update
Dr. Deron Robinson, General Counsel, provided Trustees with an update on the current legislative session. Dr. Robinson noted the legislative watch team, which is a group of teachers, administrators, community members and city leaders who are learning about the advocacy process and how to watch bills that move toward the Governor’s office. Dr. Robinson also provided an update on the TASA TASB Legislative Conference and PTA Rally Day. 

Dr. Robinson further detailed members of the public education committees in both the Senate and the House. The Chair of the Senate committee is Brandon Creighton and the Chair of the House committee is Brad Buckley. 

In addition, Dr. Robinson explained that since the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, Denton ISD has lost $6,592,071 of School Health and Related Services (SHARS) funding. The district has also experienced a $7,438,226 transportation funding gap, safety and security annual funding requirements from House Bill 3 totaling $4,440,228, and $10,000,000 in 2023 raises based on assurances that the $4 billion in the state budget would have flowed to public schools.

Deficit areas for Denton ISD include $2,490,955 for Pre-K programming, $9,859,333 for special education, $7,438,226 for transportation and $4,440,228 for safety and security. 

As of Feb. 20, 4,583 bills have been filed, and of those, 827 are public education bills. Bills on the horizon include SB2, SB4, HB2, HB3 and HB4, among others. 

4th Quarter Growth Report
Trustees were provided with the 4th Quarter Growth Report from Zonda. Denton ISD continues to rank as one of the fastest-growing districts in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex in terms of annual closings, currently ranking 4th with 2,342 annual closings and 22,048 futures. 

Denton ISD has 53 actively building subdivisions with nearly 2,900 lots available to build on. The district has 23 future subdivisions, and groundwork is underway on nearly 2,600 lots within 16 subdivisions. Denton ISD is forecasted to enroll more than 35,800 students by 2029-20309 and more than 38,600 by 2034-2035. 

Intruder Detection Audit Report
Dr. Susannah O’Bara, Superintendent of Schools, provided an update on the recent Intruder Detection Audits conducted by the Texas School Safety Center. Further detail was provided to the board in executive session for safety and security.

Presentations and Recognitions

Counseling Teams from Six Denton ISD Schools Earn Statewide Award for 14th Straight Year
Counseling teams from six Denton ISD schools were recipients of a Texas School Counselor Association’s (TSCA) CREST Award, which annually recognizes the top counselors in the state.

Counselors at the Gonzalez School for Young Children, Hodge and Sam Houston Elementary, and Harpool and Strickland Middle Schools received the prestigious honor – marking the 14th consecutive year that at least one Denton ISD campus has received a CREST award. 

In addition, counselors at Rodriguez Middle School earned the CREST Leadership Award, which marks the fourth consecutive year they earned the distinction of having an exemplary comprehensive counseling program. 

Four Denton ISD Students Selected To TDEA All-State Dance Team
Four Denton ISD students were selected to the Texas Dance Educators Association (TDEA) All-State Dance Team. 

Amy Campos from Braswell High School, Rachel Crandall from Denton High School, Zoe Young from Guyer High School and Olivia Torres from Ryan High School were each selected to the all-state team, which is comprised of dancers representing schools from across Texas. 

All-State dancers participated in the TDEA All-State Convention Jan. 8-11 in

Houston. The experience included dance workshops, leadership training, master classes and networking with other students. The All-State Dance Team experience culminates in a performance choreographed by a master choreographer.

Community Spotlight

Denton Black Film Festival Recognized for Work with Denton ISD
Each year, the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) honors businesses, organizations and individuals for their support and exceptional advocacy of public schools. This statewide honor, as part of “Stand Up for Texas Public Schools,” recognizes local businesses and community organizations that partner with school districts to make a difference in public school students' lives. 

The Denton Black Film Festival has been a longtime supporter of Denton ISD, partnering with the district in a variety of capacities. Over the last two years, the Denton Black Film Festival has collaborated with Denton ISD and the Adopt-a-School program to host the annual art and essay contest where dozens of students are celebrated for their creations.

In addition, the Denton Black Film Festival has volunteered at Denton ISD’s Back-to-School Fairs, where thousands of students are provided with school supplies, backpacks and more before the start of the school year. 

For the unique way the Denton Black Film Festival has assisted our district, and for going above and beyond to assist our students and staff, we wish to thank the Denton Black Film Festival for their continued support.

Discussion of 2025-2026 Budget
Jennifer Stewart, Executive Director of Budget, provided Trustees with an overview of the 2025-2026 budget. Ms. Stewart noted multiple key dates regarding the 2025-2026 budget, as well as Denton ISD’s enrollment and attendance history. For the 2024-2025 school year, Denton ISD’s current enrollment is 33,329 students. The district’s current Pre-K enrollment is 1,506, and the budgeted average daily attendance (ADA) is 31,075. 

Ms. Stewart also provided a history of Denton ISD’s fund balance, noting the projected fund balance for 204-2025 is $56,660,296. For 2025-2026, with potential reductions as discussed by the 1925 Committee, the district’s potential fund balance would be $44,949,065. 

Ms. Stewart noted Board Policy CE LOCAL about fund balance, which states the district shall strive to maintain a total general operating fund balance of 25 percent of the district’s total general operating fund expenditures and maintain the district unassigned general operating fund balance equal to at least 15 percent of the district’s total general operating fund expenditures. 

For 2025-2026, it is projected Denton ISD will have a 13.42 percent total fund balance compared to total expenditures and 4.49 percent unassigned fund balance compared to total expenditures. This is largely due to the state of Texas not increasing the basic allotment since 2019 despite record inflation of more than 20 percent. 

Lastly, Ms. Stewart provided the district’s historical spend by category, as well as the historical percentage spend by category. Since 2016-2017, more than 80 percent of the budget is spent on payroll costs. Ms. Stewart also detailed budget priorities, which is allocating resources to meet the district’s greatest needs, maintaining a primary focus on teaching and learning, decision-making that affects the long-term viability of the district and has a substantial impact on the overall budget. 

Discussion of Teacher Incentive Allotment Update
Jason Rainey, Interim Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, provided Trustees with an update on the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA). 

TIA is built for Texas school districts to designate and reward top-performing teachers. Teachers can earn one of three levels of designation – Recognized, Exemplary or Master. Teachers with a National Board certification may be designated as Recognized. 

Districts receive an annual allotment for each eligible designated teacher they employ and may use TIA funds to incentivize effective teachers to remain in the classroom and prioritize high-needs campuses. The vision of TIA is to support districts in building, expanding and sustaining strategic compensation systems that can differentiate teacher effectiveness in all content and grade areas. These systems will prioritize teacher learning and student outcomes; connect to campus and district best practices; incentivize teachers to stay; support more robust recruitment; and make the educator profession more desirable.

Through adequate and sustainable funding with the foundation school program, there are 26,989 designated teachers with 542 districts receiving funds. In 2023-2024, $292 million was awarded. 

Mr. Rainey also detailed TIA funding and how each distinction of recognized, exemplary and master affects funding. The maximum amount of funding is $32,000. 

Moving forward, an application must be submitted to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) outlining the district’s local designation system to participate in the TIA. TEA then either approves or denies the application. From there, districts submit teacher performance data and proposed designations to Texas Tech University, and TEA issues final system approval and award designations. 

Three critical decisions through this process are:

1. Who can earn a distinction? Eligible campuses and teachers
2. How will the district designate? Through observations, student growth measures and an optional component
3. How and when will the district compensate? Distribution of funds and the timing of compensation

The TIA system application is due to TEA by April 2025. The 2025-2026 school year would be phase 1 data capture year, and beginning in October 2026, data would be submitted to Texas Tech. A final system approval notification would be sent February 2027, with initial designations and allotments occurring in April 2027. Approved districts receive initial payout September 2027.

Phase 2 of campus/level and content area expansion would occur during the 2026-2027 school year, and Phase 3 of the campus/level and content area expansion would occur during the 2027-2028 school year. 

Discussion of Innovative Design Campuses
Dr. Lacey Rainey, Assistant Superintendent of School Leadership & Academic Programs, provided Trustees with an update on the expansion of educational opportunities through innovative design models offered at various campuses throughout the district. Each innovative design model has different requirements that may have a fiscal impact. For example, to become a STEM-certified campus, a certain number of staff members must obtain certification, which has a fiscal impact for the campus. 

In Denton ISD, the goal is to provide families, within their high school zoned feeder communities, opportunities to access campuses that use innovative design models to best address their child’s unique learning potential. 

Innovative design campuses include STEM, two-way dual language and International Baccalaureate (IB). National Institute for STEM Education certified campuses provide unique learning opportunities that promote student inquiry, critical thinking and 21st-century skill building. The two-way dual language program provides native English and native Spanish speakers the ability to participate in instruction to promote biliteracy and bilingualism. The IB program is a student-centered approach that promotes students being the agents of their learning. 

Denton ISD will continue to research innovative design models for future implementation while continuing to strive for authentic community-based collaboration and partnerships. 

Discussion of TASB Policy Update 124
Dr. Deron Robinson, General Counsel, provided Trustees with TASB Policy Update 124. 

TASB Policy Update 124 includes revisions to legal policies based on legislative and regulatory changes that have an immediate effect on the governance and management of the district. Changes to local policies offered for consideration address the following topics: Financial ethics, investments, intellectual property, employee standards of conduct, special programs, gifted and talented students, child abuse and neglect, and conduct on school premises. Update 124 includes the changes to the following local policies:

• CAA(LOCAL): FISCAL MANAGEMENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES – FINANCIAL ETHICS
• CDA(LOCAL): OTHER REVENUES - INVESTMENTS
• CY(LOCAL): INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
• DH(LOCAL): EMPLOYEE STANDARDS OF CONDUCT
• EHB(LOCAL): CURRICULUM DESIGN – SPECIAL PROGRAMS
• EHBB(LOCAL): SPECIAL PROGRAMS – GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS
• FFG(LOCAL): STUDENT WELFARE – CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT
• GKA(LOCAL): COMMUNITY RELATIONS – CONDUCT ON SCHOOL PREMISES

It is further recommended that additional changes be made to the following local policies:

• DC(LOCAL): EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES

Quarterly Investment Report – 2nd Quarter FY2025
Trustees were provided the district’s investment report for the 2nd quarter of the fiscal year 2025. As of Dec. 31, 2024, the combined book value of investments for the district’s general fund, debt services fund, capital projects fund and special revenue funds were $1,045,519,607. 

Presentations and Recognitions

Trustees Name Cosmetology Salon at the LaGrone Academy for Retired Teacher Brenda Buster
The Denton ISD Board of School Trustees announced the official name of the cosmetology salon at the LaGrone Academy – the Brenda Buster Cosmetology Salon at the LaGrone Academy – honoring Brenda Buster, who worked as an educator in Denton ISD for 30 years. 

Ms. Buster was the Denton High School Teacher of the Year in 2002 and Denton ISD’s Secondary Teacher of the Year in 2002. 

Four Denton ISD Ensembles Receive Mark of Excellence Award
Four Denton ISD ensembles received the Mark of Excellence Award from the Foundation for Music Education.

The Braswell High School Legacy One Jazz Ensemble, Braswell Wind Symphony and the McMath Middle School Jazz Ensemble were each named National Winners. The Denton High School Lab Band 1 was named a Commended Winner.

In addition to being a Mark of Excellence Award National Winner, Braswell’s Legacy One Jazz Ensemble also performed at the Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conference in Atlanta last week. Braswell’s jazz ensemble was one of only six ensembles from across the United States that were invited to perform at the largest jazz education conference in the world.

Regarding the Mark of Excellence Award, only the top 25 percent of entrants from across the country are recognized as National Winners, with the second 25 percent named as Commended Winners.

The Mark of Excellence project seeks to recognize and award outstanding performance achievements by high school and middle school bands, choirs and orchestras. The project gathers entries from throughout the United States and provides valuable feedback for all entrants.

A unique competitive environment allows ensembles to compare their performance quality to other outstanding groups from across the country. All entrants receive a compilation recording of the winning performances. Winners are recognized in regional and/or national publications and at national and regional conventions. It is hoped the adjudicator critiques and the compilation recordings will prove helpful in improving performances and will spread knowledge of quality literature.

The Braswell High School Director of Bands is Aaron Snipes. The principal of Braswell High School is DeCorian Hailey. The director of the Denton High School Lab Band 1 is Jesse Woolery. The principal of Denton High School is Joel Hays. The director of the McMath Middle School jazz ensemble is Travis Harris. The principal of McMath Middle School is Brett Moore.

Denton ISD Receives $9 Million Grant to Provide Devices with Internet Access to Students with Limited or No Connectivity
Denton ISD was one of only two public school systems in the United States to receive a grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

The roughly $9 million grant will provide students with limited or no internet connectivity access to devices with internet access. In addition, these devices will also include browsing security protections, just like those on the district network.

Denton ISD was one of only 24 entities from across the United States to receive the grant, and the district was one of only eight educational organizations to be awarded. This funding comes from the $1.25 billion Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program, one of three Digital Equity Act grant programs created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

Denton ISD’s Executive Director of Construction, Planning & Growth Receives State Award
Brandon Boyter, Denton ISD’s Executive Director of Construction, Planning & Growth, received the Pathfinder Award from the Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO). The award was developed to recognize members from facilities and operations for their use of innovative practices, response to unprecedented situations and connection to students and staff.

Denton ISD continues to rank as one of the fastest growing areas in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, and under Mr. Boyter’s leadership, the district has opened two new schools (Cheek Middle School and Martinez Elementary School) since the start of the 2023-2024 school year. In addition, Denton ISD also opened two new campuses that had been rebuilt (Calhoun Middle School and Newton Rayzor Elementary) in that same timeframe, and two new schools (Reeves and Hill Elementary) are scheduled to open August 2025.

Mr. Boyter has been in public education for more than 20 years and has been involved in construction for over 25 years. During his career, he has been involved in more than 75 new K-12 construction projects and countless renovation projects. 

Community Spotlight

Harvest Ministries Recognized for Work with Denton ISD
Each year, the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) honors businesses, organizations and individuals for their support and exceptional advocacy of public schools. This statewide honor, as part of “Stand Up for Texas Public Schools,” recognizes local businesses and community organizations that partner with school districts, making a difference in the lives of public school students.

Harvest Ministries has been a longtime supporter of Denton ISD, providing food to both students and staff, as well as donating hundreds of backpacks to the district’s Back-to-School Fairs. Since 2023, Harvest Ministries has provided nearly 300 holiday meal boxes that have been distributed to students at multiple campuses.

In addition, Harvest Ministries has provided lunch for the staff at Braswell High School and breakfast for staff at Paloma Creek and Bell Elementary, as well as Navo Middle School.

For the unique way Harvest Ministries has assisted our district, and for going above and beyond to assist our students and staff, we wish to thank Harvest Ministries for their continued support.

Board Appreciation Month
Texas is home to more than 5.4 million public school children who are enrolled in more than 1,100 school districts. That translates into 7,200 volunteers who are elected by their local citizens to act as trustees – making effective and good decisions to benefit the education of our community’s young people.

In Denton ISD, our seven elected trustees work many hours – often time representing us at community breakfasts, during their lunch hour and at evening events. They respond to parent phone calls and emails; they attend trainings with regard to policy and law and they strive every day to make effective decisions to benefit our community’s more than 33,335 young people and 5,000 employees.

We want to acknowledge the work and volunteer efforts of our 2024-2025 Board of Trustees:

Barbara Burns, President
Mia Price, Vice President
Sheryl English, Secretary
Amy Bundgus, Trustee
Dr. Patricia Sosa-Sanchez, Trustee
Charles Stafford, Trustee
Lori Tays, Trustee

Thank you for your service and constant commitment to our organization – your impact will be felt for generations.

Public Hearing for Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR)
Becky Lloyd, district testing coordinator, facilitated a public hearing for Denton ISD’s Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR) for the 2023-2024 school year. Ms. Lloyd noted the district’s 94.5 percent attendance rate was higher than the 93.3 percent state average and the 93.9 percent Region 11 average. Regarding College, Career and Military Readiness (CCMR), Denton ISD’s total credit for CCMR criteria increased from 72.2 percent in 2021-2022 to 76.1 percent in 2022-2023. 

Discussion of Middle-of-Year Progress Update 
Dr. Lisa Thibodeaux, Executive Director of Secondary Teaching & Learning and Sandy Brown, Executive Director for Elementary Teaching & Learning, provided Trustees with a middle-of-the-year progress update as it relates to the board’s “Super Six” goals, which include:

• Students will graduate college and be career and/or military-ready.
• Students will demonstrate Algebra I mastery by the end of 9th grade.
• Students will demonstrate reading on grade level by the end of 3rd grade.
• Students will be engaged in extra/co-curricular activities.
• Staff will be highly engaged.
• Families and communities will be highly engaged.

Discussion of Teacher and Principal Residency Grant Update
Jason Rainey, Interim Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, provided Trustees with an update on the teacher and principal residency grant program through a partnership with the University of North Texas and Texas Woman’s University. 

Mr. Rainey noted Denton ISD was selected by UNT as the pilot district for the teacher residency program. The program launched in August 2023 through collaboration with university professors and Denton ISD administrators. Residents are paired with an exemplary teacher, and teachers were hand-selected by campus administrators. During the 2024-2025 school year, the partnership with UNT continued while expanding partnerships by adding a TWU residency program. 

In 2024, Denton ISD was selected through a competitive grant process for the principal residency program. The program launched in August 2024 through the collaboration of university professors and Denton ISD administrators. Interest is high with full-time employees being placed at multiple campuses around the district as principal residents, Residents are paired with exemplary principals at high-needs campuses. Ten residents will be selected through an application process. 

Teacher resident placements are at Alexander, Borman, Evers Park, Hawk, Newton Rayzor and W.S. Ryan Elementary. Principal resident placements are at Alexander, Ginnings, Hodge, Rivera, Cross Oaks, Providence, Evers Park, McNair, Paloma Creek, Savannah and Stephens Elementary; Myers, Strickland, Calhoun and Navo Middle School, and Braswell High School. 

In partnership with UNT, the residency provides a pathway for teachers to obtain a master's degree in educational leadership and principal certification while participating in a full-time, year-long residency program at high-needs campuses. This also utilizes a full-time, year-long residency to fully prepare residents to understand and experience the role and responsibilities of campus administration while providing them with best-practice knowledge for future experiences. 

Discussion of Childcare Update
Dr. Charlene Parham, Area Superintendent, provided the Trustees with a childcare update. Dr. Parham noted for working parents, juggling professional responsibilities and family obligations can be extremely challenging. Additionally, quality, affordable childcare is increasingly difficult to find. Providing additional childcare opportunities in Denton ISD will assist with staff recruitment, retention and increased engagement.

A survey was sent to all Denton ISD employees on Nov. 4, 2024. The survey closed on Nov. 22. Of the 730 participants, 86 percent responded they would like to see more childcare offerings provided in Denton ISD for children birth through age 3. Current childcare offerings in Denton ISD include the Gallian Child Development Center and the Fred Moore Day Nursery School at Gonzalez. The capacity at Gallian is 72, with 55 on the waitlist. The capacity at Fred Moore Day Nursery School is 104, with 20 on the waitlist. Possible expansion of childcare includes additional employee childcare and an additional site. 

Discussion of 2025-2026 Budget
Jennifer Stewart, Executive Director of Budget, updated Trustees on the 2025-2026 Budget. Ms. Stewart reviewed the budget calendar and timeline, including various key dates. 

Ms. Stewart also noted the district’s budget priorities, which include allocating resources to meet Denton ISD’s greatest needs, maintaining a primary focus on teaching and learning, decision-making that affects the long-term viability of the district and considering the substantial impact to the overall budget. 

3rd Period Attendance Report
Dr. Lesli Guajardo, Director of District and Student Support Services, provided Trustees with a 3rd Period Attendance Report. Average daily attendance (ADA) for the 3rd period attendance report was 94.57 percent. 

Targeted Campus Improvement Plan Report
Luci Schulz, Area Superintendent and Rachel Sullivan, Rivera Elementary principal, provided Trustees with the targeted campus improvement plan for Rivera Elementary. 

Ms. Sullivan noted Rivera’s enrollment of 625 students consists of 48 percent Hispanic students, 31 percent African American students and 15 percent white students. Of the 625 students at Rivera, 93 percent are economically disadvantaged. Current barriers for Rivera include student culture: behavior, students in crisis, lack of opportunities and lack of needs; necessary systems and perception. 

Ms. Sullivan explained the response to these barriers include rebranding Rivera in various ways, such as: updating soccer fields, planting and building the Phoenix Ho Garden, updating the courtyard, updating physical education equipment and various murals throughout the building. This response and targeted improvement plan will be research based and will focus on adult systems, building teacher capacity through feed and observation cycles.

Property Tax Report
Greg Sawko of Sawko & Burroughs, provided Trustees with an update on delinquent tax collections for tax year 2023-2024. For the 2023-2024 tax year, and for the previous 12 years, the delinquent property tax collection rate exceeded 99 percent. Denton ISD’s ongoing partnership with Sawko & Burroughs has been a successful factor in these exceptional collection rates. 

Intruder Detection Audit Report
Denton ISD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Susannah O’Bara provided an update on the recent Intruder Detection Audits conducted by the Texas School Safety Center. Further detail was provided to the board in executive session for safety and security.

Presentations and Recognitions

Guyer High School Receives ‘Silver with Access’ Level of AP School Honor Roll
The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools whose AP programs are delivering results for students while broadening access. Schools can earn this recognition annually based on criteria that reflect a commitment to increasing college-going culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit and maximizing college readiness.

Guyer High School recently received the “Silver with Access” level of the AP School Honor Roll, which is a recognition given to United States schools where 50 percent or more of the graduating cohort takes at least one AP exam; 30 percent or more of the graduating cohort score a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam, and 5 percent or more of the graduating cohort takes five or more AP exams – with at least 1 taken in 9th or 10th grade – while in high school.

Guyer High is also being recognized with the AP Access Award. Schools earn this additional award if the percentage of AP Exam takers who are underrepresented minority and/or low-income students mirrors the school's overall student demographics.

Dr. Shaun Perry is the principal of Guyer High School, and Dr. Lisa Thibodeaux is Denton ISD’s Executive Director of Secondary Teaching and learning.

Community Spotlight

Local Business Owner Raises $17,000 for Unpaid Lunch Balances
Denton ISD graduate and local restaurant owner, John Williams (Oak Street), helped organize the fifth-annual Downtown Denton Mac N’ Cheese Festival, which raised money to pay off hundreds of unpaid lunch balances.

The festival, held in November, raised $17,000 that will now go towards

clearing lunch debt at multiple Title I campuses. In total, Mr. Williams helped facilitate more than two dozen local restaurants that participated if benefitted Denton ISD students.

Board Spotlight

Martinez Elementary School Security Officer Recognized for Work with Students
Brandy Reed is the School Security Officer (SSO) at Martinez Elementary School – but she is much more than that to everyone on the campus.

Officer Reed stands at the front door every morning, greeting students with high-fives as they start their day. At lunch, she quizzes students on safety tips and passes out stickers for correct answers. Officer Reed even highlights students helping keep the school safe on the morning announcements and takes a photo with them, placing it on a board near the front of the school.

Officer Reed goes above and beyond for the students and staff at Martinez Elementary, and she has become an integral part of the school’s community.

The principal of Martinez Elementary is Karsten Hatcher.

Discussion of Annual Safety & Security Report
Mary Martin, Director of Safety and Security, and Dr. Jeff Russell, Area Superintendent, provided the Trustees with the annual safety and security report. Ms. Martin detailed the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) district vulnerability assessment, which is an audit cycle that occurs every four years. These audits are an evaluation of the district’s compliance with requirements found in the Texas Administrative Code, Texas Education Code, Commissioner’s Rule Concerning School Facilities and TEA Standards of Practice.

Additionally, Ms. Martin provided a House Bill 3 update, noting that 20 of the 24 school safety officer (SSO) positions have been filled, with one pending for hire. Interviews are also scheduled for the remaining positions. Combined, these 20 SSOs have 423 years of various law enforcement experience. 

Discussion of Health Services Update
Nicole Goodman, Director of Health Services, provided Trustees with a health services update. Ms. Goodman noted that from August 2024 to December 2024, 16,000 individual students visited the nurse’s office. There were 37,000 office visits, 28,000 medications/treatment visits and 37,000 state-mandated screenings. Ms. Goodman also explained it is health service’s goal to build a sense of community within the department. 

In addition, Ms. Goodman detailed internal collaboration between health services and a variety of district departments. Health services collaborates with risk management to report injuries and accidents, child nutrition for allergy management and medical dietary needs, transportation for safety training, safety and security to manage emergency response tools, special education to interpret individual medical needs and Concentra for staff and dependent care. 

Discussion of 2025-2026 Secondary Course Planning Guides
Dr. Lisa Thibodeaux, Executive Director of Secondary Teaching & Learning, updates Trustees on the 2025-2026 secondary course planning guide. Updates are made to the planning guides each year to reflect changes in course offerings and other related policies and practices. 

Regarding the high school course planning guide, general revisions include credit by exam, including partner dance and art courses, clarifying “programs of study,” “career clusters,” and “endorsements,” and adding computer science sequence options. Clarifications include semester averaging for transfer grades and automatic college admissions. Changes in practice include removing HS 101 as a graduation requirement and renaming the course “College Transition,” new endorsement requirements and options, expanding speech proficiency options, add “credentialing” as a World Language Credit Option, PSAT second-time takers (11th grade) option, and dual credit courses – TSI waivers changes. Course changes include sunsetting Latin courses, adding linear algebra and differential equations and dual enrollment, add an AP capstone diploma program (AP seminar, AP research), removing the third science prerequisite for food science, expanding AP art history to grades 10-12 and expand AP art drawing, 2-D, 3-D to grades 11-12. CTE course changes include court systems and practices, advanced legal studies, sports and entertainment marketing, principles of hospitality and tourism and many more. 

Regarding the middle school course planning guide, clarifications include semester averaging for transfer grades, notes on required summer learning, available program courses for emergent bilingual students, automatic college admissions notes and honors vs. acceleration. Changes in practice include embedding required career and college exploration standards into principles courses, changing intervention courses to pass/fail and adding “credentialing” as a world language credit option. Course changes include adding Technology Applications 6, removing Spanish III as a prerequisite for the Discovering Languages and Cultures course, adding ASL 6, 7 and 8 for Calhoun Middle Schools MS PYP program and adding partner art courses. CTE course sunsets include interpersonal studies, lifetime nutrition and wellness, robotics I, principles of construction, principles of applied engineering and principles of agriculture, food and natural resources. 

Discussion of IB/Advanced Academics  
Grace Anne McKay, Director of Advanced Academics, provided Trustees with an advanced academics update. Denton ISD is one of 14 districts in Texas with a full International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum pathway. IB is offered at Borman and Newton Rayzor Elementary, Calhoun Middle School and Denton High School. 

Regarding honors and Advanced Placement (AP), 52 percent of high school students and 45 percent of middle school students participate in one or more advanced courses. From 2020 to 2024, Denton ISD saw an increase in the total number of AP exams taken from 2,248 in 2020 to 3,389 in 2024. Additionally, the number of test takers also increased over the same period, from 1,471 in 2020 to 2,085 in 2024. Total number of exam scores of 3 or higher also increased, from 1,223 in 2020 to 1,917 in 2024. 

Dual credit courses are also offered at the University of North Texas, Texas Woman’s University and North Central Texas College (NCTC). There are five online courses at UNT with two new concurrent enrollment, 20 courses at TWU that are embedded, and 29 total courses at NCTC – 14 academic and 15 CTE, all of which are online. 

Ms. McKay also provided information on college readiness assessments, such as the PSAT/NMSQT, SAT and TSIA. In addition, she also detailed the EXPO Gifted and Talented program. A “gifted and talented student” performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience or environment and who: 1) exhibits high-performance capability in an intellectual, creative or artistic area, 2) possesses an unusual leadership capacity or 3) excels in a specific academic field. (Texas Education Code 29.121)

Discussion of 1925 Committee Update
Dr. Susannah O’Bara, Superintendent of Schools, and Dr. Jeremy Thompson, Deputy Superintendent, provided an update regarding the 1925 Committee. Dr. Thompson explained the M&O and I&S tax rates, noting the M&O tax rate is based on average student attendance and student attributes – not the amount of property taxes collected locally. The Board of Trustees sets the I&S tax rate based on debt service payment requirements, and the I&S rate is capped at $0.50. Denton ISD’s tax rate has decreased by more than $0.38 since 2018. Dr. O’Bara noted that from 2019-2020 to 2023-2024, the percentage of Denton ISD’s budget allocated for instruction has decreased from 77.9 percent to 72.7 percent, while the percentage allocated for district operations has increased from 17.2 percent to 22.4 percent. The increase in district operations costs stems from record inflation more than 20 percent and an increase in utility costs. 

Dr. O’Bara also provided an overview of Denton ISD’s Executive Cabinet, as well as its payroll compared to neighboring districts of similar enrollments. Denton ISD currently has more than 30,000 students enrolled, and its Executive Cabinet payroll is $1,653,673,09 – which is below

the average payroll of $1,948,965 from 15 surrounding school districts of similar size. Dr. O’Bara and Dr. Thompson went on to explain what financial impact it would have on the state budget if the basic allotment is increased by various increments. 

Discussion of Rezoning Workshop
Dr. Lacey Rainey, Assistant Superintendent of School Leadership & Academic Programs, provided the Trustees with an update on the proposed boundary rezoning for Ginnings Elementary. Dr. Rainey explained that Ginnings Elementary will temporarily close beginning in the 2025-2026 school year to begin rebuilding the campus as part of the 2023 Capital Improvement Plan that was approved by district voters. 

The new school will be built on the same site as the current campus, which does not have adequate land to facilitate construction while holding school simultaneously. Denton ISD will begin construction of the new Ginnings Elementary in the summer of 2025. Construction is expected to be completed spring 2027, and the new Ginnings Elementary is tentatively scheduled to open for the 2027-2028 school year.

Growth Report
Rocky Gardener of Zonda, Denton ISD’s demographer for more than a decade, provided Trustees with the 3rd Quarter growth report. Mr. Gardener noted Denton ISD currently ranks fourth in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex in terms of annual closings with 2,506. Groundwork is underway on more than 2,300 lots within 15 subdivisions. The district has roughly 1,200 homes currently in inventory with nearly 2,600 additional lots to build on. 

Based on the current trend, Denton ISD could have more than 2,200 new home starts and more than 2,500 new home closings at the end of 2024. Denton ISD is forecasted to enroll roughly 35,700 students by 2029-2030 and nearly 38,500 students by 2034-2035. 

Construction Report
Brandon Boyter, Executive Director of Construction, Planning and Growth, provided an update on current construction projects ongoing in the district. Mr. Boyter detailed active construction timelines for Hill Elementary, Reeves Elementary, the Denton, Ryan, Guyer and Braswell High School multipurpose facilities, as well as High School No. 5 and the Myers, Crownover, Rodriguez, Harpool, Navo and Strickland Middle School track and field projects. Completed projects across the district include the Evers Park, Alexander, Blanton and Nelson Elementary renovations, the Strickland Middle School renovation and the Fred Moore Day Nursery School roof replacement.

Bond Progress Report
Dean Anthony, a volunteer member of the 2018/2023 Citizens Advisory Committees, provided an update on the progress of both the 2018 and 2023 bonds from the community’s perspective. Mr. Anthony outlined the committee’s review of the financial report, technology implementation, land acquisition, newly added facilities and the facilities currently under construction.

Campus Capacity Report
Dr. O’Bara provided Trustees with the campus capacity report. 

Intruder Detection Audit Report
Dr. O’Bara provided an update on the recent Intruder Detection Audits conducted by the Texas School Safety Center. Further detail was provided to the board in executive session for safety and security.

Presentations and Recognitions

Braswell’s Macy Wingard Wins Second Consecutive Class 6A Cross Country Championship
Braswell High School junior Macy Wingard won her second consecutive Class 6A cross-country state championship on Friday, Nov. 1.

Macy finished the 5,000-meter race in 17:07.9 to claim the gold medal. In addition to winning the 6A state title, Macy also won the District 5-6A and 6A Region I championships, as well.

Eight Denton ISD Students’ Artwork Displayed at State Conference
Eight Denton ISD students were chosen to have their artwork displayed at the Texas Association of School Administrators and Texas Association of School Boards (TASA/TASB) conference.

Each year, the Texas Art Education Association (TAEA) presents an exhibit of artwork created by Pre-K-12th grade students representing schools from across Texas. The TASA/TASB conference is attended by school board members, superintendents and district administrators. The conference provides a unique and prestigious opportunity for the selected students to display their artistry to a broad audience of educational leaders and professionals.

Denton ISD’s eight students whose artwork was selected for the display include:

Pecan Creek Elementary
Sarableen Kaur, 5th Grade
Sarableen’s art instructor is Jennifer Diaz. The principal of Pecan Creek is Ashley Wright.
 
Stephens Elementary
Saesha Dhakne, 5th Grade
Saesha’s art instructor is Crea Greene. The principal of Stephens Elementary is Emily Manning.
 
Navo Middle School
Alana Klimpel, 8th Grade
Alana’s art instructor is Yara Jones. The principal of Navo Middle School is Toni Goodman.
 
Cheek Middle School
Tailen Guthrie, 7th Grade
Tailen’s art instructor is Scott (Robert) Hughes. The principal of Cheek Middle School is Dr. Beth Kelly.
 
Guyer High School
Harper Robbins, 12th Grade
Mauricio Zoe Aranda Briones, 12th Grade
Harper’s art instructor is Christian Reid. Mauricio’s art instructor is Shaye Watson. The principal of Guyer High School is Dr. Shaun Perry.
 
Ryan High School
Ayden Ait Roua, 9th Grade
The principal of Ryan High School is Vernon Reeves.
 
Denton High School
Abigail Ismert, 10th Grade
Abigail’s art instructor is James Rosin. The principal of Denton High School is Joel Hays.
 
Community Spotlight
 
Chuy’s Recognized for Work with Denton ISD
 
Each year, the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) honors businesses, organizations and individuals for their support and exceptional advocacy of public schools. This statewide honor, as part of “Stand Up for Texas Public Schools,” recognizes local businesses and community organizations that partner with school districts, making a difference in the lives of public school students.
 
Chuy’s has been a longtime supporter of Denton ISD, providing free and discounted food on multiple occasions. Chuy’s donated more than $3,000 worth of food for Denton ISD’s Back-to-School administrative team meeting while also providing discounted food at the district’s new hire event and other occasions throughout the year.
 
For the unique way Chuy’s has assisted our district, and for going above and beyond to assist our students and staff, we wish to thank Chuy’s for their continued support.

 
Board Spotlight
 
Braswell Teacher Recognized as Texas Council for the Social Studies Outstanding High School Teacher of the Year
Jennifer Wyman, the AP Human Geography Teacher at Braswell High School, was recently recognized as the Texas Council for the Social Studies (TXCSS) Outstanding High School Teacher of the Year.
 
Ms. Wyman was one of only six teachers statewide that received recognition from TXCSS. The TXCSS Outstanding Teacher of the Year award is given in recognition of active participation in local, state and national social studies councils and outstanding social studies teaching at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

Annual Comprehensive Financial Report
Vicki Garcia, Executive Director of Financial Operations, provided Trustees with the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the 2024 fiscal year. According to the Texas Education Code, all school districts must submit a series of financial statements to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) within 150 days after the conclusion of each fiscal year. These financial statements must adhere to the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and undergo an audit conducted by a licensed certified public accounting firm by generally accepted auditing standards.

Carl Deaton, Hankins, Eastup, Deaton, Tonn, Seay, & Scarborough L.L.C., a licensed certified public accounting firm, provided an unmodified opinion following the audit of the District's financial statement for the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2024.  

Discussion of Boundary Rezoning
Dr. Lacey Rainey, Assistant Superintendent of Academic Programs & School Leadership, provided Trustees with proposed attendance rezoning changes for the 2025-2026 school year. Dr. Rainey explained that multiple community events were held in October to inform affected families of the proposed changes, and any potentially affected family can complete a request to remain from Jan. 6, 2025.

Dr. Rainey noted the following proposed changes: 

• Portions of the Borman Elementary, Calhoun Middle School and Denton High attendance zone have been proposed to attend E.P. Rayzor Elementary, Harpool Middle School and Guyer High School.
• Portions of the Stephens Elementary, Myers Middle School and Ryan High attendance zone have been proposed to attend Nelson Elementary, McMath Middle School and Denton High.
• Portions of the Shultz Elementary attendance zone have been proposed to attend Sam Houston Elementary.
• Portions of the Evers Park Elementary, Newton Rayzor Elementary and Borman Elementary attendance zones have been proposed to attend Reeves Elementary. Reeves Elementary students will then attend Calhoun and/or McMath Middle School and Denton High.

Discussion of the 2025-2026 Calendar
Dr. Charlene Parham, Area Superintendent, provided Trustees with an update on the calendar for the 2025-2026 school year. Dr. Parham explained the goals for the 2025-2026 calendar include: providing 187 staff contractual days, embedding two inclement weather days, providing a minimum of 75,600 minutes, embedding ongoing professional learning community (PLC) an staff development days throughout the year, fall semester concluding before winter break and spring semester concluding before Memorial Day and provide one staff holiday per month. 

The proposed calendar for the 2025-2026 school year includes an October teacher workday, six professional learning days before the student start date, a freshman first day of Aug. 11, 2025, all students start on Aug. 12, 2025, one week off for Thanksgiving, two weeks off for Winter Break, Spring Break March 9-13, 2026, the first semester concluding before Winter Break and the second semester concluding before Memorial Day. 

Discussion of Legislative Priorities  
Dr. Deron Robinson, General Counsel, provided Trustees with an update on Denton ISD’s legislative priorities for the 89th Legislative Session that begins on Jan. 14, 2025 and concludes on June 2, 2025. 

Dr. Robinson noted that Denton ISD has met with local policymakers including Senator Tan Parker, and Representatives Richard Hayes, Andy Hopper and Mitch Little. Dr. Robinson further explained the district’s main legislative priorities are sustainable funding and sensible accountability. 

Dr. Robinson also detailed Denton ISD’s 2024-2025 deficit budget of $19,917,396, explaining the basic allotment, which is how school districts in Texas are funded, has not been increased since 2019 despite record inflation. To keep pace with inflation, the basic allotment would need to be increased from $6,160 to more than $7,500 per student. 

1st Quarter Investment Report 
Ms. Garcia provided an overview to Trustees regarding the district’s investment report for the quarter ending Sept. 30, 2024.

Head Start Annual 644 Financial Compliance Report 
Head Start is fully funded by a federal grant in the amount of $1,677,337 and is housed at Ann Windle School for Young Children (SYC). The award for 2023-2024 reflects a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) and Quality Improvement (QI) increase over the previous year in the amount of $139,554. The grant requires a local match of 20 percent or $419,335.

As a result of the Head Start Program, Denton ISD was able to serve 189 students in a full-day Head Start program implemented by 11 highly qualified/certified, degreed teachers. The program includes a management staff providing oversight in the areas of child development and education, health services, nutrition services, family and community partnerships and disability services.

2nd Period Attendance Report
Dr. Lesli Guajardo, Director of District and Student Support Services, provided an update on the second period attendance report, noting the average daily attendance (ADA) was 94.89 percent.

Energy Audit
Paul Andress, Executive Director of Operations, provided Trustees with a report of the district’s utility management for all its facilities from July 2023 to June 2024. The report included total consumption and cost comparison, analysis by utility type, and percentage change of energy use. 

Compared to 2022-2023, Denton ISD’s total energy costs rose from $9,389,626 to $10,272,957 – a 9.4 percent and $883,331 increase. 

Intruder Detection Audit Report 
Dr. O’Bara provided an update on the recent Intruder Detection Audits conducted by the Texas School Safety Center. Further detail was provided to the board in executive session for safety and security.

Presentations and Recognitions

Nineteen Denton ISD Students Place in Top 5 at Educators Rising National Conference & Competition
Nineteen Denton ISD students from seven different campuses placed in the top five at the Educators Rising National Conference & Competition – a nationwide event consisting of middle school and high school students. 

Students qualified for the national event by participating in the Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE) state competitions and contests. The top 10 from each category at the state level can advance to nationals. 

Denton ISD had 33 students place in the top 10 at the state level and 23 qualified for nationals – the most of any school district in Texas.  

Denton ISD students who placed in the top 5 nationally include: 

Rodriguez Middle School
Preston Green – 2nd place in Public Speaking
Payton Rubel – 2nd place in Educators Rising Moment
Elyxa Boughn – 3rd place in Educators Rising Moment

Myers Middle School
Aubrey Stevens – 3rd place in Teach Created Materials
Addie Trammel & Isabella Snyder – 2nd place in Children’s Literature for K-3rd grade
Brooklyn Causey – 3rd place in Children’s Literature for Pre-K

Crownover Middle School
Chimdike Okere & Abigail Moore – 3rd place in Children’s Literature for K-3rd grade
Emilee Hurst & Ava Adair – 4th place in Children’s Literature for K-3rd grade
D’asia Fuqua-Smith – 1st place in Exploring Education Administration Careers
Addi Atkins – 1st place in Exploring Non-Core Teaching Careers

Ryan High School
Shelby Hartman – 3rd place in Children’s Literature for K-3rd grade

Guyer High School
Mia Allgood & Jerry Yang – 4th place in Project Visualize Service

Braswell High School
Payton Glutsch – 2nd place in Teacher Created Materials

LaGrone Academy
Sophia Montelongo & Jade Langford – 3rd place in Interactive Bulletin Board for secondary science

The Rodriguez Middle School TAFE educator is Jennie Andrews; the Myers Middle School TAFE educator is Leslie Cantu; the Crownover Middle School TAFE educator is Diana Edwards; the Ryan High TAFE educator is Misty Blagg; the Guyer High TAFE educator is Ashley Hamilton; the Braswell High TAFE educator is Jeanne Hicks; the LaGrone Academy TAFE educator is Staci Eby. 

Community Spotlight

Total Care ER Recognized for Work with Denton ISD
Each year, the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) honors businesses, organizations and individuals for their support and exceptional advocacy of public schools. This statewide honor, as part of “Stand Up for Texas Public Schools,” recognizes local businesses and community organizations that partner with school districts, making a difference in the lives of public school students.

As a long-time Adopt-A-School Partner, Total Care ER remains devoted to the cause of supporting the students and staff at Denton ISD. Their team of volunteers has repeatedly donated their service at our Back-to-School Fairs, and they consistently support the Denton ISD community, most recently with their participation at last week's Rededication Celebration for Calhoun Middle School and Newton Rayzor Elementary. 

In addition to their service, Total Care is a staunch advocate for providing monetary support where it is needed most. This year, they are donating $5,000 to be split equally among five of our Title 1 elementary P.E. programs across the district. 

The five $1,000 donations will be used to update P.E. equipment to help promote a healthy and active lifestyle for our students. Two P.E. programs receiving donations are here tonight, Rivera and Alexander Elementary. 

For the unique way Total Care has assisted our district, and for going above and beyond to assist our students and staff, we wish to thank Total Care for their continued support. 

Board Spotlight

LaGrone Academy Teacher Part of Grand Champion-Winning Team at Food Truck Championship of Texas

Earlier this year, Gabby Sanchez, who serves as the culinary arts instructor at the LaGrone Academy, helped the Denton-based food truck Insurgent win the Grand Championship at the Food Truck Championship of Texas.

Ms. Sanchez competed in the contest along with her fiance, Sam Lopez, who is the chef and co-owner, and sous chef Alec Sanders. The team placed first out of nearly 40 food trucks, taking home a $10,000 prize. 

Their dish was a shaved prime rib sandwich, which consisted of prime rib on a toasted brioche bun with garlic butter, buttermilk dressing and red wine-braised cabbage and onions. 

Child Nutrition Annual Update
Liz Raftery, Director of Child Nutrition, provided Trustees with the child nutrition annual update. Ms. Raftery noted that Denton ISD has seen a 14 percent increase in total breakfasts served in 2024-2025 compared to 2023-2024 and a nine percent increase in total lunches served. 

Average daily participation for the same timeframe has also increased by nine percent for breakfast and four percent for lunch. Menu enhancements have also been made, with 14 new entrees, seven limited-time offerings, build-your-own stations with four rotating concepts, a “top 9” allergen-free menu and scratch-made smoothies for breakfast. 

Ms. Raftery also provided an update on the community eligibility provision (CEP) program. The CEP is a federal program that provides free breakfast and lunch for all students – regardless of their eligibility for free and reduced lunch – at ten campuses across the district, including Ann Windle School for Young Children, Gonzalez School for Young Children, Alexander, Borman, Evers Park, Ginnings, Hodge, Rivera and Stephens Elementary Schools and the Davis School. Each of these campuses due to unpaid student lunch balances incurred on average $6,000 in debt that was absorbed by the campus budget. 

“Families who are being served by this program save $774 per student per year by having the cost of their student’s lunch covered,” said Ms. Raftery.

Discussion of Multi-Tier System of Support (MTSS), 504 & Special Education
Multiple members of Denton ISD’s Teaching and Learning team, including Robin Brownell, Area Superintendent, provided an update on Denton ISD’s special education, Section 504 and the Denton Multi-Tier System of Support (DMTSS) programs. Ms. Brownell noted that of the 33,453 students enrolled in Denton ISD, 5,436 are enrolled in special education and 3,173 receive Section 504 accommodations. 

Since 2020-2021, Denton ISD’s special education evaluation trend has increased year over year, and based on this trend, the district will exceed 2023-2024 initial evaluations. Furthermore, Denton ISD’s special education enrollment has also increased year over year since 2020-2021. In 2020-2021, the district had 3,798 students enrolled in special education compared to 5,436 this year. The number of self-contained students has increased year over year since 2020, as well, increasing from 601 students in 2020 to 818 students in 2024. 

Students with a specific learning disability comprise 28.9 percent of special education students, followed by 19.6 percent with a speech impairment, 16.2 percent with other health impairments and 15.5 percent with autism. Autism is the fastest-growing category by percentage, with an increase of more than five percent since 2019-2020. 

In addition, Section 504 enrollment has increased year over year since 2020-2021, with 3,173 current Section 504 students compared to 2,828 in 2020-202o. To be protected under Section 504, a student must be determined to: 1) have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, 2) have a record of such an impairment, or 3) be regarded as having such an impairment. Major life activities include walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working, caring for oneself and performing manual tasks 

The MTSS framework encompasses academic, behavioral, and other necessary supports

for all students. Students in general education and those receiving special education and related services participate in MTSS.

A primary component of MTSS is using assessment data to drive differentiated instruction and decision-making for students. Through MTSS, the campus identifies students in need of additional support to reduce academic and behavioral gaps. Current MTSS enrollment is 3,311 compared to 4,984 in 2023-2024. 

“Thank you for presenting a clear and concise set of data points that has painted a true picture of the hard and rewarding work our staff is doing to support our students,” said Mia Price, Vice President of the Board of School Trustees. “We appreciate your amazing work and everything you do.”

Discussion of Safe and Supportive Schools Program
Multiple members of Denton ISD, including Dr. Lacey Rainey, Assistant Superintendent of School Leadership & Academic Programs,  Amy Lawrence, Director of Counseling Services and Dr. Jeff Russell, Area Superintendent, provided Trustees with an update on the Safe and Schools Supportive Schools Program (SSSP). The Denton ISD SSSP is a comprehensive approach that promotes a positive school environment through counseling and social work, intervention services, the behavior task force, and safety and security. 

A comprehensive school counseling program is essential to fostering a positive school environment, enhancing overall student well-being and facilitating student academic success. The behavior task force collected data throughout the spring of 2023, training all administrators during Summer Leadership in June 2024 and collected and analyzed data and communication to campuses for ongoing continuous improvement. 

Through Denton ISD’s DMTSS framework, students receive early intervention to remediate academic, behavioral and/or social and emotional concerns. Each campus has a DMTSS problem-solving team that implements and monitors the MTSS process on their campus. 

Finally, safety and security have promoted the integration of student resource officers and the campus. Security officers use their expertise within the school setting to reflect district and city training while also collaborating with the campus and city municipalities to provide law enforcement support when necessary. 

Legislative priorities include a Chapter 37 coalition and safety and security funding. To date, Denton ISD has spent nearly $35 million and will continue to advise for funding to adequately support safety and security, 

First Period Attendance Report
Dr. Lesli Guajardo, Director of District and Student Support Services, provided an update on the first period attendance report, noting the average daily attendance (ADA) was 95.69 percent. 

Intruder Detection Audit Report
Dr. O’Bara provided an update on the recent Intruder Detection Audits conducted by the Texas School Safety Center. Further detail was provided to the board in executive session for safety and security.

Presentations and Recognitions

Council of PTAs Recognized for Their Work in Denton ISD
Denton ISD’s Council of PTA serves each campus in the district and provides unique opportunities for all students within their school. 

For the 2023-2024 school year, there were 8,188 PTA members across the district. These PTA members volunteered 71,668 hours, saving Denton ISD $2.4 million. 

There were 205 awards earned by PTAs across the district last year, including the following campuses that received the Golden Apple award for 100 percent membership of full-time faculty and staff: Adkins Elementary, Alexander Elementary, Ann Windle School for Young Children, Bell Elementary, Blanton Elementary, Cheek Middle, Crownover Middle, E.P. Rayzor Elementary, Hawk Elementary, Newton Rayzor Elementary, Paloma Creek Elementary, Pecan Creek Elementary, Rodriguez Middle, Stephens Elementary, Sam Houston Elementary, Sandbrock Ranch Elementary, Savannah Elementary, Strickland Middle and Union Park Elementary. 

For the tremendous impact the Council of PTAs continues to have on Denton ISD, we wish to thank them for their incredible work and extraordinary efforts. 

2023 Annual Financial Management Report
Denton ISD’s Executive Director of Financial Operations Vicki Garcia provided an overview of the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) 2023-2024 Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) report. 

Denton ISD has received the highest possible rating for 22 consecutive years and an “A” superior rating for 2023-2024, earning 94 out of a possible 100 points. Ms. Garcia detailed an overview of the worksheet and how scores are calculated, including critical indicators, solvency indicators, financial competence indicators, and ceiling indicators. Ms. Garcia also noted how Denton ISD performed in each of the aforementioned categories. 

Discussion of Campus Improvement Plans
The Campus Improvement Planning process for the 2024-2025 school year supports the following Board of Trustees value statements:

• Students will graduate college, career, and/or military-ready.
• Students will be engaged in extra/co-curricular activities.
• Students will demonstrate evidence of mastery of Algebra I by the end of 9th grade.
• Students will demonstrate evidence of reading on grade level by the end of 3rd grade.
• Staff members are highly engaged.
• Families and our communities are highly engaged

Campus Improvement Plans are compiled after each district campus leadership team completes a campus comprehensive needs assessment. The plans are a working, living document that provides each campus with a pathway for student success. This report will show each campus goal(s), action steps to reach that goal, any financial implications, persons responsible, and a timeline for achieving the goal. The CIPs will highlight the great work our district is doing to support student achievement, student engagement, and social/emotional learning.

Braswell Zone Campus Improvement Plans

Needs Assessment Overview Summary

Demographics:

• Increase the diversity of our teacher population.
• Our student population has grown tremendously and needs to focus on our economically disadvantaged and special education populations with interventions and proactive discipline.

Student Achievement:

• Develop an intervention plan to address HB4545 skills for students in need
• Increase our participation in AVID to increase our college-going population
• Increase the percentage of LEP, Hispanic, AA, and ECON DIS students participating in Honors/AP classes to enhance college readiness.
• Increase awareness of CCMR for grades 5th-8th and develop a roadmap of expectations to ramp to CCMR point.

School Culture and Climate:

• Increase teacher and student voice (Principal Coffee talks, surveys)
• Appreciation of staff - get a percentage of staff that feel appreciated
• Recognize staff
• Students and teachers need to feel respected and accountable to our campus culture (being a part of our campus decisions, being at 90 percent compliance, etc., Choice program. Bengal Power Card)
• Students need to be a part of something bigger than themselves (Clubs, organizations, UIL, NHS, etc)
• Pursuit of Purpose intervention program and Purpose statement

Staff Quality, Recruitment and Retention:

• Provided professional development both locally and globally in areas of educational and cultural needs (Solution Tree, discipline, restorative, Lunch and Learn, etc)
• Provide more substitutes to allow for teachers to take time off when needed.
• Create opportunities to help with student and staff burnout.

Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment:

• Incorporate campus-wide WICOR strategy and other best practices to move us along academically.
• Establish strong PLC practices, allowing open discussion and professional learning in all content areas.
• Implement next steps of Assessment for Learning strategies (Learning targets and strong and weak work)
• Teachers would like additional training on effective ways to get kids to self-assess and focused intervention and enrichment in their content area.

Family and Community Involvement:

• Increase campus and community involvement by establishing our Braswell Leadership Association.
• Creating a position for Campus Community and Student Leadership - Josh Okpara
• Possible community event and community service activity
• Continue to involve PTSA in our campus planning and student opportunities
• Continue to reach out and help our families in financial need

Technology:

• Teachers would like additional training to see technology used effectively to enhance learning in their specific content area.

Denton Zone Campus Improvement Plans

Needs Assessment Overview Summary

• Algebra I performance (not just sub-populations) needs to be a continued focus of administration and PLCs. Work performed in the late Spring/Summer is encouraging - as are new hires added to the teams.
• Teacher development and retention is a critical goal of the CLT. Monitoring/revision of the mentorship needs to continue and a task force should be formed to develop campus-based PD for the year.

Demographics Summary
Denton High School, per the 2023 TAPR report, has a diverse student body. 38.7 percent of the students identify as White, 43.6 percent as Hispanic, 12.9 percent as African American, and the remaining is a mix of Asian, Native American, and students of Two or More Races. A significant portion, 54.9 percent, are economically disadvantaged, suggesting the school serves many students from low-income families. Furthermore, 18.5 percent of the students are English language learners, reflecting a multilingual community and 14.2 percent receive special education services. The mobility rate stands at 13.8 percent.

Student Learning Summary
Algebra I EOC results ("approaches" and "meets grade level") were significantly higher this year. This is largely on the ability and function of our Algebra I PLC team.

These teachers worked together at the highest levels and were a model PLC. They pushed every student and did not allow students to "opt-out" of doing the work.

AP enrollment continues to increase, but we have noticed a slight drop in students registering to take exams AND a drop in the number of students passing exams in certain subjects. Dual credit interest and enrollment continues to increase as parents and students see this as an attractive option for college-bound students (especially those staying "in-state").

IB interest continues to increase although the total number of full-diploma DP graduates decreases slightly. An increasing number of higher-ranked seniors chose to take a selection of

IB courses (mixed with DC or AP) instead of pursuing the more rigorous IB Diploma. This continues a "COVID-19 effect" trend noted by other IB schools.

Guyer Zone Campus Improvement Plans

Needs Assessment Overview Summary
Not all demographic populations have achieved their full potential academically or behaviorally. 

A diverse population requires a deep understanding of the diverse needs of various learners while implementing a common set of values and expectations as a school.

Demographics Strengths

• Consistent academic performance/ratings, as it relates to the TEA Accountability System
• Increasing College, Career, and Military Readiness measures
• Exceptionally high graduation/completion rate
• High student attendance rate
• Teacher/student ratios allow for highly effective instruction
• Traditionally low student mobility/student stability rate
• Traditionally strong truancy prevention measures
• Growing diversity in the student population
• Strong community ties/support

Guyer High continues to see an increase in student participation in College Board Advanced Placement programming. Additionally, in recent years, students have taken advantage of the dual-credit option with a partnership with Texas Woman’s University which allows students to receive college credit through classes taken on the high school campus. Students are graduating with higher numbers of college credits through participation in the Advanced Placement and Dual Credit programs at Guyer. 

Ryan Zone Campus Improvement Plans

Needs Assessment Overview Summary
Ryan High currently has a very diverse student body. The makeup of the school community is a tradition-rich one, marked by years of success at all levels of the educational process. The actual student makeup is consistent in an average enrollment between 2,050-2,220 over the previous three years.

The diversity of the campus includes the following: 2,070 enrollment. Of that number, 63 percent are Economically Disadvantaged and 48.26 percent of those students are at-risk. The makeup of the campus includes 20 percent African-American, 46 percent Hispanic, 28 percent White, .005 percent American Indian, .02 percent Asian, and 3 percent Two or More Races.

Demographics Strengths
Strengths of the demographic makeup of the Ryan High campus embrace attention to many areas of the academic, social-emotional, and overall growth of the student. The staff at RHS recognizes that the diverse makeup of the campus allows for a variety of teaching and learning opportunities for teachers and students. Programming to meet the needs of the campus is a critical component of the Ryan High team. 

In addition, there have been increases in many programs that introduce new curricular areas for the needs and interest levels of the student body at Ryan. CTE programming for the capturing of the CCMR and state accountability have added to the overall progress of the school as it relates to the growth of the individual student.

Presentations and Recognitions

Blanton, E.P. Rayzor, McNair and Savannah Elementary Schools Recognized as Model PLC Campuses
Four Denton ISD elementary schools have been recognized as Professional Learning Community (PLC) Model Schools by Solution Tree, recognizing the campus’ sustained success in raising student achievement.

Blanton, E.P. Rayzor, McNair and Savannah Elementary Schools each received the distinction – which less than 500 schools and districts across the United States and Canada earn. 

​​Schools are recognized based on strict criteria, including demonstrating a commitment to PLC concepts, implementing these concepts for at least three years and clear evidence of improved student learning over that period. Once measurable results can be seen, the school must explain its practices, structures, and culture and submit its application for consideration by the PLC Review Committee.

The principal of Blanton Elementary is Dr. Landon Turrubiarte. The principal of E.P. Rayzor Elementary is Dr. Sarah Critton. The principal of McNair Elementary is Djenane Bolton. The principal of Savannah Elementary is Andi Hawkins. 

Community Spotlight

PMC Barbershop Recognized for Work with Denton ISD
Each year, the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) honors businesses, organizations and individuals for their support and exceptional advocacy of public schools. This statewide honor, as part of “Stand Up for Texas Public Schools,” recognizes local businesses and community organizations that partner with school districts, making a difference in the lives of public school students.

Earlier this summer, PMC Barbershop provided free haircuts to students at both of Denton ISD’s Back-t0-School Fairs. These Back-to-School Fairs provided school supplies and other resources – including haircuts – to more than 4,000 students, helping them prepare for the start of the school year. 

For the unique way PMC Barbershop has assisted our district, and for going above and beyond to assist our students and staff, we thank the PMC Barbershop for their continued support.  

Omar Garcia of PMC Barbershop will be in attendance to receive this recognition. 

Texas PTA Reimburses Denton ISD $545,000 for Five New Buses
The Texas Parent Teacher Association (PTA), through the Texas Clean School Bus Program (TCSB), has reimbursed Denton ISD $545,000 for the purchase of five new propane-powered buses. The TCSB program is designed to reduce school children’s exposure to diesel exhaust from school buses. The five new buses replaced retired units from 2005.

Dr. Sheryl Alden, Director of Transportation, and Alan Wilcox, Fleet Maintenance Coordinator, will be in attendance to receive this recognition. 

Board Spotlight

Denton High Teacher Seth Ross Named Named TexTESOL V Teacher of the Year
The TexTESOL V (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) Teacher of the Year is an annual award given to an exemplary English Language Teacher from the North Texas area. This past spring, Denton High teacher Seth Ross was one of only three recipients of the TexTESOL V Teacher of the Year award.

Mr. Ross has taught for more than 24 years and has spent the past decade at Denton High. He has spent his career advocating and ensuring that emergent bilingual students receive the best education possible and can access the very best opportunities to achieve their dreams.

Discussion of Denton ISD Summer Learning Programs 2024
Sandy Brown, Executive Director for Elementary Teaching and Learning, and Dr. Lisa Thibodeaux, Executive Director for Secondary Teaching and Learning, provided an overview of the Denton ISD instructional program opportunities offered during the Summer of 2024. Summer programming is supported through the collaborative efforts of a wide variety of district departments, including curriculum and instruction, staff development, academic programs, transportation, child nutrition, EIS/technology, digital learning, facilities and more. Summer programming also provides impactful learning opportunities that allow students to stay engaged, avoid summer loss, prepare for the upcoming school year, accelerate learning and/or re-learn essential concepts and standards. 

In 2024, Denton ISD had 1,008 enrolled in elementary jump start, 465 students enrolled in middle school jump start, 91 students enrolled in math eight-course recovery and 671 students enrolled in high school summer credit recovery. For the elementary jump start, there was a 224 percent learning gain for attendees. For the middle eight course recovery, of 156 eligible students, 83 completed the course recovery. For high school credit recovery, there was a 40 percent cost savings in personnel vs. students repeating the full course. 

Dual Language and ESL Programs Annual Report
Caleb Leath, Director of Bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, provided Trustees with the department’s annual report. Mr. Leath noted for the 2023-2024 school year, there were 6,139 emerging bilingual students, representing 18.7 percent of the district’s enrollment. Since 2019-2020, the district’s emergent bilingual population has increased 3.3 percent. Among emerging bilingual students, 80.5 percent speak Spanish, while 2.2 percent speak English and 1.8 percent speak Telegu. 

Currently, there are 64 teachers attending either the bilingual or ESL certification professional development and 32 teachers were successful in passing either the ESL supplemental or bilingual certification. Mr. Leath also detailed the department’s efforts in parent and community engagement, such as virtual parent meetings, family book club, translation services and more. Moving forward, Mr. Leath explained long-term projects for the bilingual and ESL department include dual language framework and programming, seamless transition between transitional grade levels, increase the number of reclassified students and strengthen community partnerships. 

Discussion of Nomination for Denton Central Appraisal District Board of Directors
Denton ISD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Susannah O’Bara provided an overview of the Denton Central Appraisal District (DCAD) Board of Directors nominations. 

DCAD has requested its taxing jurisdictions to nominate by resolution up to five people to be considered for their Board of Directors. The resolution must include the name and address of each candidate nominated. To be eligible to serve on the board, an individual must be a resident of the district (Denton County) and must have resided in the district for at least two years immediately preceding the date they take office. According to Section 6.03 of the Property Tax Code, it is the chief appraiser’s responsibility to initiate this process.

An individual that is serving on the governing body of a city, county, or school district is eligible to serve as an appraisal district’s director. Currently, Charles Stafford is Denton ISD’s representative.

The Board of School Trustees nominated Mr. Stafford to serve on the board. 

Bond Progress Report
Susan McGuire Cooksey, a volunteer member of the 2018/2023 Citizens Advisory Committees, provided an update on the progress of both the 2018 and 2023 bonds from the community’s perspective. She outlined the committee’s review of the financial report, technology implementation, land acquisition, newly added facilities and the facilities currently under construction.

Construction Report
Brandon Boyter, Denton ISD Executive Director of Construction, Planning and Growth, provided an update on current construction projects ongoing in the district. Mr. Boyter detailed active construction timelines for Hill Elementary, Reeves Elementary, the Denton, Ryan, Guyer and Braswell High School multipurpose facilities, as well as Myers, Crownover and Rodriguez Middle School track and field projects. Completed projects across the district include the Evers Park, Alexander, Blanton and Nelson Elementary renovations, the Strickland Middle School renovation and the Fred Moore Day Nursery School roof replacement.

Denton ISD Quarterly Growth Report
Rocky Gardner of Zonda, the district’s demographer for more than a decade, provided the Denton ISD quarterly growth report for the second quarter of 2024. Mr. Gardner noted Denton ISD still ranks among the top five fastest-growing school districts in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex based on annual closings. Mr. Gardner also detailed various residential activity, including 749 total lots in Eagle Creek, 328 future ots in Kings Way and 7,858 total future lots in Cole Ranch. Denton ISD is expected to close roughly 2,700 homes in 2024 based on current data, with groundwork underway on more than 2,500 lots in 14 subdivisions. By 2028-2029, Denton ISD is forecasted to have 36,600 students enrolled, and more than 41,400 students by 2033-2034. 

Career and Technology Education (CTE) Annual Report
Carla Ruge-Fritz, Director of Career and Technical (CTE) Education and Marcus Bourland, LaGrone Academy Principal, provided Trustees the CTE annual report. Ms. Ruge-Fritz noted there are 216 students enrolled full-time at the LaGrone Academy. Of students enrolled in CTE courses, the top three career clusters are: 34 percent in human services, 13 percent in business, marketing and finances and 13 percent are enrolled in health science. Of students who attempted an industry based certification test, 82 percent passed, and 3,334 certificated were awarded in 2023-2024. 

Intruder Detection Audit Report
Dr. O’Bara provided an update on the recent Intruder Detection Audits conducted by the Texas School Safety Center. Further detail was provided to the board in executive session for safety and security.

 

Presentations and Recognitions

Ryan High Student Selected to National Youth Orchestra
Ryan High School’s Osiel Cardenas earned one of the most prestigious honors in the country when he was selected to the National Youth Orchestra (NYO) of the United States of America earlier this summer.

Osiel was chosen through a comprehensive video audition process, and he was one of only 12 students from Texas selected. Following his audition and selection, Osiel completed a training residency at State University of New York at Purchase, with faculty made up of principal players from top professional orchestras. From there, he began touring with the orchestra, performing at Carnegie Hall and in Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil.

As part of their travel schedule, NYO musicians met and collaborated with local musicians to experience the richness of other cultures. Led by Marin Alsop, repertoire for the NYO’s concert at Carnegie Hall and on tour included Barber’s Symphony No. 1, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue featuring guest soloist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.

After performing at Carnegie Hall, the NYO made stops in Montevideo’s Auditorio Nacional del Sodre, Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colón, Brazil’s Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro and the Sala São Paulo. While on tour in South America, the NYO musicians had the chance to take part in peer-to-peer exchange with young musicians in São Paulo and tour the cities they performed in.

The principal of Ryan High School is Vernon Reeves. The orchestra director is Jeremy Atkins.

Discussion of Certified Values, Tax Rate & Chapter 49
Jennifer Stewart, Executive Director of Budget, provided Trustees with an update on certified values, tax rate and Chapter 49.

For the sixth consecutive year, Denton ISD is poised to decrease its tax rate. The proposed drop in tax rate would lower the district’s tax rate to $1.1569 – a decrease of $0.0023 from the 2023-2024 school year. Since 2018, Denton ISD has lowered its tax rate by a combined $0.3831, saving local taxpayers $384 per $100,000 value on their home. The median home price in Denton ISD is roughly $465,000, meaning the average homeowner will save roughly $1,782 in 2024-2025, compared to 2018-2019. 

The Board of School Trustees meet again on Sept. 24 to adopt the tax rate for the 2024-2025 year.

Discussion of 1925 Advisory Committee
Dr. Susannah O’Bara, Superintendent of Schools, provided Trustees with information on the newly-created 1925 Advisory Committee 1925, which has been assembled to assist Denton ISD leadership with a response to the district’s current financial circumstances.

Denton ISD is beginning the third consecutive fiscal year in which it has been forced to operate with a deficit Maintenance and Operations (M&O) budget, due in large part to the ongoing static nature of public-school funding at the foundational level in the State of Texas. The Committee recognizes that significant recommendations for reducing current budgeted expenditures and/or finding avenues to increase budgeted general fund revenues will be necessary within this coming fiscal year in order to stop the current decline of reserve general funds. 

Substantive budget reductions will necessarily include the reduction of personnel, and thus, district programs. Through this process, the district will be able to solicit input and feedback from a representative base of stakeholders to assist with the process of prioritizing these challenging decisions.

The 1925 Advisory Committee will understand Texas school finance, evaluate staffing formulas

and programming, analyze budgeted allocations of resources to current district programs and offer feedback to the district’s executive cabinet regarding how to prioritize reductions to budgeted expenditures – and how to maximize revenues in order to accomplish Denton ISD’s budget goals. 

PTA Annual Report
Denton ISD Council of PTAs President Amy Terrell and Denton ISD Council of PTAs Vice  President Aimee Jones provided the status of the district’s Council of PTAs work as a whole and provided a summary of work at each campus. 

Ms. Jones noted the Council of PTAs enrollment and explained how the Council serves each campus and individual communities/families while providing unique opportunities for all students within their school. Ms. Terrell further explained the 205 awards earned by PTAs across the district last year, including the following campuses that received the Golden Apple award for 100 percent membership of full-time faculty and staff: Adkins Elementary, Alexander Elementary, Ann Windle School for Young Children, Bell Elementary, Blanton Elementary, Cheek Middle, Crownover Middle, E.P. Rayzor Elementary, Hawk Elementary, Newton Rayzor Elementary, Paloma Creek Elementary, Pecan Creek Elementary, Rodriguez Middle, Stephens Elementary, Sam Houston Elementary, Sandbrock Ranch Elementary, Savannah Elementary, Strickland Middle and Union Park Elementary. 

For the 2023-2024 school year, there were 8,188 PTA members across Denton ISD. 

Athletics Department Annual Report
Dr. Chivonne Kiser, Assistant Director of Athletics, provided Trustees with an annual report on athletics. 

Dr. Kiser noted there are 8,844 total athletes in Denton ISD in grades 7-12 across 28 different programs (20 at the high school level and 8 at the middle school level) and 17 different sports. Dr. Kiser also detailed the academic success of Denton ISD’s student-athletes, explaining that for the 2023-2024 school year, over $2.3 million of scholarships were awarded to student-athletes. In addition, there were two state champions, 110 academic all-state athletes and 841 scholar athletes. Dr. Kiser also explained the district’s current emergency action plans (EAPs), concussion management, heat protocols and the coaches certification program (CCP). 

Fine Arts Department Annual Report
Eddy Russell, Director of Fine Arts, provided Trustees with an update on the district’s fine arts programs. At the elementary level, students attend art class and music class once per week. At the middle school level, Denton ISD’s art enrollment has increased year-over-year since 2017-2018, with 2,769 middle school students enrolled in art in 2023-2024.

Mr. Russell noted middle school band enrollment increased for the second consecutive year in 2023-2024, with 196 more students enrolled in middle school band in 2023-2024 (1,677) than in 2022-2023 (1,481). Middle school and high school orchestra enrollment also increased from 2022-2023 to 2023-2024, along with high school dance and middle school theatre. 

Legislative Priorities Update for the 89th Legislative Session-Legislative Budget Board: August 14, 2024
Dr. Deron Robinson, General Counsel, provided Trustees with a report to reflect the Legislative Budget Board’s revision to the Fiscal Size-up as of Aug. 14. 

2024-2025 Enrollment Update
Dr. O’Bara provided an update on enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year. As of Aug. 20, Denton ISD had more than 33,100 students enrolled

Quarterly Investment Report - 4th Quarter FY2024
Vicki Garcia, Executive Director of Financial Operations, provided an overview to Trustees regarding the district’s investment report for the quarter ending June 30, 2024.

Intruder Detection Audit Report
Dr. O’Bara provided an update on the recent Intruder Detection Audits conducted by the Texas School Safety Center. Further detail was provided to the board in executive session for safety and security

Presentations and Recognitions

Crownover Middle Students Named to Texas Elementary Honor Choir
Three Crownover Middle School sixth-grade students were named to the Texas Choral Directors Association (TCDA) Texas Elementary Honor Choir this past spring. Sophia Holmes, Kennedy Pirkle and Ryleigh Wells each received this recognition while they were fifth-grade students at Hawk Elementary, where Christina Stratton is the music teacher.

Ryleigh was one of only 81 altos selected to the Texas Elementary Honor Choir, while Sophia and Kennedy were two of only 76 sopranos selected.

In July, Sophia, Kennedy and Ryleigh performed with the Texas Elementary Honor Choir at the TCDA Convention in San Antonio. The TCDA was founded in 1955, and the first two TCDA Conventions were held in Dallas. All Conventions since have been in San Antonio. The mission of TCDA is to promote the art and artistry of choral singing and support the pursuit of excellence within the choral music profession. 

The principal of Hawk Elementary is Lauren Shapiro. Hawk Elementary’s choir teacher is Christina Stratton.

Discussion of Legislative Priorities
Dr. Deron Robinson, General Counsel, provided an update on the district’s legislative priorities ahead of the 89th Legislative Session that will begin in January 2025. Denton ISD’s proposed priorities include adequate funding and sensible accountability. An increase in the basic allotment aligns with Board goals by supporting: school security and student safety, teacher pay raises, retention and recruitment, inflation adjusted indexed funding, fund based on enrollment not attendance, increase basic allotment which has not been increased since 2019, improve Texas from ranking 49th in state funding for public education and fully fund full-day Pre-K programs. 

Denton ISD’s Board Goals include the following:

Teaching & Learning

• develop and maintain a culture where learning remains our first priority
• advocate and practice true accountability based on measurement of individual student progress over time, regardless of external mandates
• cultivate a consistent, strong, district-wide balanced curriculum based on ongoing needs assessments supporting all students
• establishing high expectations with a curriculum fostering inquiry, critical thinking, civic responsibility and exemplary citizenship
• cultivate a network of professional learning communities addressing the educational needs of every child in our district
• incorporate best practices into teaching, learning, technology and leadership
• foster and support an advanced digital learning environment
• establish goals for individual campuses that incorporate both measurable and intangible factors

Culture & Climate

• honor the dedication and professionalism of all staff
• celebrate, respect, and promote the value of diversity in our Denton ISD Community
• support a working environment ensuring open and transparent communication
• establish high expectations for success
• instill in students a love of lifelong learning
• foster a positive, welcoming environment encouraging parent and community partnerships
• promote health, wellness and emotional well-being
• effectively communicate achievements and recognitions to the Denton ISD community

Growth & Management

• recruit, employ and retain high quality teachers
• remain committed to providing equitable and outstanding opportunities for every student on every campus
• work with the community in planning and facility development
• utilize citizens’ advisory committees to focus on short and long-term tasks
• adjust policies and procedures to address rapid growth and changing demographics, nurturing our strong sense of community
• demonstrate effective and efficient management of district resources
• provide leadership and/or oversight to ensure District meets all fiscal, legal and regulatory requirements.
• encourage teachers and staff to pursue advanced degrees
• pursue energy efficiency and conservation principles
• develop a budget focused on student and professional learning
• maintain a diverse workforce

Opportunities for Students 

• support college, career, military and life readiness
• engage students in extracurricular clubs and organizations
• advocate for public education across the state and nation
• develop academic skills and interpersonal relationships necessary for student success in college, the workplace and for life

Discussion of TASB Delegate Assembly Nomination and Alternate
Denton ISD’s Board of School Trustees nominated and approved Lori Tays to serve as the district’s Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) delegate during the TASB Delegate Assembly and Sheryl English to serve as the district’s alternate. 

Delegates play a key role in TASB’s governance — helping develop the vision for the Association. The Board of Trustees may appoint one delegate and one alternate to serve as Denton ISD’s representatives during the Assembly. The Delegate Assembly will include reports from various TASB committees; election of Directors and Officers; action on proposed Bylaws changes; and action on proposed changes to the 2023–2024 Advocacy Agenda. Continuing education credit will be granted for the keynote address and participation in the action on the Advocacy Agenda at the caucuses and Delegate Assembly.

2024-2025 Enrollment Update
Dr. Lacey Rainey, Assistant Superintendent of School Leadership & Academic Programs, provided an update on enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year. As of Aug. 13, 33,100 students have completed the enrollment process. 

 

Presentations and Recognitions

Braswell High, Guyer High Theater Departments Win State Awards
The Broadway Dallas High School Musical Theater Awards aim to inspire and honor excellence in high school musical theater while recognizing the importance of musical theater and arts education in North Texas.

Students and educators are recognized with an annual awards ceremony modeled after the Tony Awards and include both performance and production categories. The qualifying performances are scored by a select group of adjudicators with backgrounds in various art forms in education, music, theater, dance and related fields. Adjudicators follow rubric criteria to determine the winners in each category

The Betty Lynn Buckley Awards are named after Fort Worth’s own Tony Award-winning Best Actress and Casa Mañana alumna, Betty Lynn Buckley. This scholarship awards program has celebrated the best in high school performing arts since 2000. A panel of distinguished judges – composed of local theater professionals and educators – votes for a winner in 17 award categories.

This year, Denton ISD had award-winners in five Broadway Dallas categories and three Betty Buckley categories. 

The Broadway Dallas and Betty Buckley award winners include:

Broadway Dallas Awards
Outstanding Sound Design (tie)
Braswell High School - Mamma Mia
Guyer High School - Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

Lead Performer Runner-Up
Emma Grace Freeman, Guyer High School

Spirit Award
Emma Grace Freeman, Guyer High School

Theatre Major Scholarship
Ella Eavenson and Emma Grace Freeman, Guyer High School

Technical Theatre Scholarship
Megan Murello, Guyer High School

Betty Buckley Awards
Excellence in Lighting Design
Mamma Mia – Chloe Milhizer and Bella Houk, Braswell High School 

Excellence in Supporting Performance, Musical
Sweeney Todd and Ella Eavenson, Guyer High School

Excellence in Lead Performance, Musical
Sweeney Todd, Emma Grace Freeman, Guyer High School

Facilities Naming
The Denton ISD Board of School Trustees announced the official name of the Fine Arts Center at Ryan High School – the Jeannene Abney Fine Arts Center – honoring Jeannene Abney, who served as the theater director and teacher at Ryan High School from 1992 until her retirement in May. 

Ms. Abney began her career in education in 1979, and she spent the entirety of her 32 years in Denton ISD at Ryan High School. Over the course of her career, Ms. Abney’s students represented Ryan High at the state and national level, competing and earning championships in UIL, Texans for the Arts (TFA), National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) and the International Thespian Society (ISA). 

Budget Hearing
Jennifer Stewart, Executive Director of Budget, reviewed the budget, including the impact the final attendance numbers had on the Average Daily Attendance (ADA), which is the rate that the Texas Education Agency uses to fund public schools. Ms. Stewart explained the proposed general fund expenditures for 2024-2025 are $342,048541, and the proposed revenue for 2024-2024 is $322,131145. 

Discussion of 2024-2025 Student and Parent Handbook
Dr. Lesli Guajardo, Director of District and Student Support Services, provided Trustees with an update on the 2024-2025 Student and Parent Handbook as it relates to Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code. Dr. Guajardo also detailed Denton ISD’s plan for a unified, district-wide set of practices and procedures that will ensure the best learning environment for all students. Notable additions to the 2024-2025 Student and Parent Handbook include: parent review of instructional materials and library materials (pages 14, 15); Texas driving with disability program (page 23), which focuses on improving the interaction between law enforcement and drivers with disabilities; and child abuse, neglect and trafficking (pages 33, 34), which include the addition of “neglect” and “emotional abuse” subsections. 

Discussion of 2024-2025 Student Code of Conduct
Dr. Jeff Russell, Area Superintendent, and Claire Springer, Sandbrock Ranch Elementary principal, provided Trustees with an update on the 2024-2025 Denton ISD Code of Conduct. Dr. Russell noted “telecommunications devices” as an addition to the Code of Conduct glossary. Telecommunications devices are devices that allow for electronic communications and the electronic exchange of data and information including voice, data and video. Examples include, but are not limited to, computers, cell phones, smart phones, telephones, mobile devices, wireless devices, tablets, smart watches, laptops or any other electronic devices and related accessories (including but not limited to wires, headphones/airpods, and ear clips) that transmits, receives or stores digital media.

Discussion of TASB Update 123 and Local Policy Revisions
Dr. Deron Robinson, General Counsel, provided Trustees with TASB Update 123 and other local policy revisions. TASB Policy Update 123 encompasses changes in law from the 88th Regular and Special Legislative Sessions that have an immediate effect on the governance and management of the district. Changes to local policies offered for consideration address the following topics: Board member training, ethics, safety programs & risk management, technology resources, employment practices, complaints and grievances and instructional arrangements and resources. 

Update 123 includes the changes to the following local policies:

• BBD(LOCAL): BOARD MEMBERS – TRAINING AND ORIENTATION
• BBFA(LOCAL): ETHICS – CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURES
• CKC(LOCAL): SAFETY PROGRAMS/RISK MANAGEMENT – EMERGENCY PLANS
• CKE(LOCAL): SAFETY PROGRAMS/RISK MANAGEMENT – SECURITY PERSONNE
• CQC(LOCAL): TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES - EQUIPMENT
• DCE(LOCAL): EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES – OTHER TYPES OF CONTRACTS
• DGBA(LOCAL): PERSONNEL-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS – EMPLOYEE COMPLAINTS/GRIEVANCES
• EEH(LOCAL): INSTRUCTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS – HOMEBOUND INSTRUCTION
• EFA(LOCAL): INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES – INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
• EFB(LOCAL): INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES – LIBRARY MATERIALS
• FNG(LOCAL): STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES – STUDENT AND PARENT COMPLAINTS/GRIEVANCES
• GF(LOCAL): PUBLIC COMPLAINTS

It is further recommended that additional changes be made to the following local policies:

• CDC(LOCAL): OTHER REVENUES – GIFTS AND SOLICITATIONS

Bond Progress Report
Community volunteer Dr. Dean Anthony provided Trustees with a bond progress report based on a recent review by the committee. A team of community members review financial statements, building plans and any adjustments that have occurred each quarter to ensure the projects materialize as they were portrayed to the community. The process is an additional level of transparency that is a common practice of the district.

Construction Report
Brandon Boytner, Denton ISD Executive Director of Construction, Planning and Growth, provided an update on active construction projects ongoing in the district from the 2023 bond. Mr. Boytner detailed progress at Hill Elementary and Martinez Elementary School, as well as the Denton High School Multipurpose Facility. 

Quarterly Growth Report
Bob Templeton of Zonda, the district’s demographer, provided the Denton ISD quarterly growth report for the first quarter of 2024. Mr. Templeton noted that, as was the case in the fourth quarter growth report, Denton ISD continues to rank as one of the fastest growing school district in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex in terms of annual starts and closings. 

Mr. Templeton also explained that Denton ISD currently has 57 actively building subdivisions, with 22 future subdivisions in various stages of planning with over 3,000 lots available to build on. In the first quarter of the year, 180 lots have also been delivered for development. 

Denton ISD is forecasted to enroll nearly 37,106 students by 2028-29 and more than 42,261 by 2033-34. 

Period Six Attendance Report
Dr. Lesli Guajardo, Director of District and Student Support Services, provided an update on the 6th period attendance report, noting the average daily attendance (ADA) was 94.57 percent. 

End of Year Attendance Report
Dr. Guajardo provided Trustees with the 2023-2024 End of Year Attendance Report. ADA for the 2023-2024 school year was 94.58 percent, a slight increase from the 2022-2023 ADA of 94.5 percent. 

End of Year Discipline Report
Dr. Jeff Russell, Area Superintendent, provided Trustees with a 2023-2024 End of Year Discipline Report. From 2023 to 2024, Denton ISD’s total out-of-school suspensions decreased from 2,781 to 2,327. 

Federal Grant Awards for Current School Year
Vicki Garcia, Executive Director of Financial Operations, provided public notice of federal grant applications through a presentation to Trustees. Federal awards for the 2023-2024 school year included Child Care and Development Block - Wage Supplement Grant, Head Start, Title I, Part A; Title I, Part C; Title I, Part D, Subpart 2 and 12 others. 

Presentations and Recognitions

Fifteen Denton ISD Students Receive All-State Honors at VASE Competition
Fifteen Denton ISD students received all-state honors in the Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) – an annual competition with nearly 35,000 entries. Academically eligible high school students in grades 9-12 can participate in VASE.

Students create artwork, write about their creative processes and understanding of visual art, and articulate information about their artwork during an interview with a VASE juror, who evaluates their work using a standards-based rubric. To qualify for state, students must attend a regional event and have their original artwork with them at the event.

Jurors then interview students and evaluate the artwork using the aforementioned rubric. Artwork receiving an Exemplary Rating (IV) receives a medallion at the state VASE competition. The state jury panel will then select Gold Seal winners from artwork receiving an Exemplary Writing, and Gold Seal artworks receive a State Gold Seal medallion.

Denton ISD’s 15 all-state VASE students include the following: 

Braswell High School

Alazjah Tate – All-State, Gold Seal Medallion 
Ms. Kiba Jacobson, Teacher 

Arabella Graham – All-State
Ms. Angie Ford, Teacher 

Samantha Melendez – All-State
Mr. David Villegas, Teacher

Izabella Viola – All-State
Ms. Angie Ford, Teacher 

Guyer High School

Jade Arnquist-forte – All-State
Mr. Christian Reid, Teacher

Angelo Gallizzi – All-State
Mr. Jeremy Sale, Teacher

Manya Kumari – All-State
Mr. Christian Reid, Teacher

Jillian Love – All-State
Mr. Christian Reid, Teacher

Jaden Mayville – All-State
Ms. Tiffany Fitzsimmons, Teacher

Kaylee Murray – All-State
Ms. Shaye Watson, Teacher

Lillian B. Rodgers – All-State
Mr. Jeremy Sale, Teacher 

Mia Stolp – All-State
Mr. John Mooney, Teacher

Ryan High School

Paola Farinas – All-State, Gold Seal Medallion
Ms. Aimee Foutch, Teacher

Nova Bailey – All-State
Ms. Aimee Foutch, Teacher

Emily Stanley – All-State
Ms. Aimee Foutch, Teacher

Kailyn Head Wins Class 5A State Championship in 300-Meter Hurdles
Ryan High School’s Kailyn Head won the Class 5A title in the 300-meter hurdles at the UIL State Track and Field championships. 

The Ryan High junior finished the race in 41.2 seconds to claim the gold medal. She won the district, area and regional title in the event, as well.

Michelle Duesman Receives James Madison Fellowship
Michelle Duesman, an eighth-grade history teacher at McMath Middle School, has received the James Madison Fellowship from Georgetown University worth up to $25,000. 

The fellowship will go towards graduate school for Ms. Duesman, where she will take classes in constitutional history. Ms. Duesman is just the second teacher in Denton ISD to receive this fellowship. In addition to receiving the James Madison Fellowship this year, Ms. Duesman was also named the Texas Council for the Social Studies Outstanding Middle School Teacher of the Year.

Board Spotlight
James Rosin, the inaugural winner of the Corky Stuckenbruck Impact Award, goes above and beyond for his students. Mr. Rosin has served as the art teacher at Denton High School since 2008, and he makes it his mission to create a safe and encouraging environment where every student feels valued and empowered to explore their creativity in the classroom.

Mr. Rosin extends his classroom hours by opening his door in the summer and on Saturdays, so students can have extra studio time. Many of Mr. Rosin’s students have gone on to pursue careers in the arts, working at Disney, Pixar Animation and as art curators, professional artists and even as art educators.

Community Spotlight
Each year, the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) honors businesses and organizations for their support and exceptional advocacy of public schools. This statewide honor, as part of “Stand Up for Texas Public Schools,” recognizes local businesses, community organizations and individuals that partner with school districts, making a difference in the lives of public-school students.

Denton Noon Rotary has been a longtime supporter of Denton ISD. Earlier this year, Denton Noon Rotary generously donated over $22,000 worth of books that were distributed to all incoming kindergarten students at the district’s Kindergarten Roundup. 

For the unique way Denton Noon Rotary has assisted our district, and for going above and beyond to assist our students and staff, we wish to thank them for their continued support. 

Discussion of 2024-2025 Budget
Jennifer Stewart, Executive Director of Budget, provided an update on the 2024-2025 budget. Ms. Stewart noted the linear growth of property values year over year dating back to 2016-2017. 

In addition, Ms. Stewart detailed projected expenditures for 2024-2025. For 2024-2025, Denton ISD will open Martinez Elementary School with no additional full-time teaching employees due to public schools receiving no additional funding from the State of Texas. 

Denton ISD will also be reducing its number of full-time employees by not filling vacancies left by retirements and resignations. In total, Denton ISD will be reducing 103 total full-time employee positions either by not filling vacancies left by retirements and resignations, or by reclassifying full-time employees. Of the 103 full-time employee positions being reduced, 94 are non-classroom positions and eight are classroom positions (8 campus paraprofessional and 1 campus professional). 

For 2024-2025, Denton ISD is projecting $321,637,312 in revenue and $342,427,885 in expenditures, resulting in a projected $20,790,573 deficit. 

Discussion of Proposed Legislative Resolutions & Priorities for the TASB Advocacy Agenda
Dr. Deron Robinson, General Counsel, provided an update on new Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Advocacy Resolutions for the 2024-2026 Advocacy Agenda. 

As Denton ISD continues to advocate for improved and sustainable funding of the school finance system as well as sensible accountability for all Texas schools that receive public funds, the district recognizes the power of a unified voice and the critical intertwining of supportive organizations in advocating for policies that directly impact Denton ISD staff, students, families and community.

The two proposed agenda items include a resolution advocating for providing adequate funding for Texas public schools, and a resolution advocating for sensible accountability for all Texas schools that receive public funding. Each of these resolutions aligns with Denton ISD’s Board of School Trustees’ “Super Six” board values. 

Discussion of Employee Medical Update 2024-2025
Chris Bomberger, Executive Director of Child Nutrition and Risk Management, provided an employee medical update. From 2022-2023 to 2023-2024, Denton ISD’s total workers’ compensation claims fell from 747 to 720. Denton ISD’s total workers’ compensation claims over $5,000 also fell, dropping from 26 to seven from 2022-2023 to 2023-2024. 

Mr. Bomberger also explained that from 2022-2023 to 2023 through April 30, 2024, the total amount of claims paid decreased from $710,338 to $398,664. 

Additionally, since opening the Theresa Grant Riggs Employee Wellness Center in July 2023, there have been 2,542 visits by employees, costing $30 per visit. Compared to the average cost of care in Texas at $169, Denton ISD has helped employees save $353,268 over the last 10 months. 

Discussion of Employee Benefits Update
Chris Bomberger, Executive Director of Child Nutrition and Risk Management, provided an update on employee benefits for 2024-2025. Compared to TRS ActiveCare, which Denton ISD left last year in order to give the district flexibility with its benefits, a majority of Denton ISD’s employee benefits through BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) are cheaper. 

Mr. Bomberger explained that each of the medical insurance plans rose between $34 to $120 per month. BCBS will also offer vision insurance to replace the current superior vision plan. This plan will offer the same coverage at a 20 percent rate decrease, while the high vision plan will offer the same coverage at a 30 percent rate decrease. 

BCBS will also replace One America to offer both the employer-sponsored and voluntary life insurance. The employer sponsored life insurance will experience a rate decrease of 39 percent, which will save Denton ISD $21,000 on the employer sponsored life insurance.

Voluntary Life Insurance will experience a rate decrease of 10 percent, saving Denton ISD employees $167,000 annually on life insurance premiums. 

Discussion of Property, School Liability, Privacy & Information Security, Automobile Insurance Renewal and Excess Workers' Compensation Renewal
Chris Bomberger, Executive Director of Child Nutrition and Risk Management, provided an update on property, school Liability, privacy and information security, automobile insurance renewal and excess workers' compensation renewal.

Mr. Bomberger explained from 2023-2024 to 2024-2025, Denton ISD’s total insured value rose from $2,051,793,673 to $2,274,695,957. The premium also increased, rising from $2,982,031 to $4,462,999. Other district coverage premiums include:

• School liability: $274,076

• Auto liability: $183,709

• Auto physical damage: $78,256

• Privacy & Information Security: $12,500

In total, Denton ISD’s total coverage premiums for 2024-2025 is $5,011,540. 

Intruder Detection Audit
Denton ISD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jamie Wilson provided an update on the recent Intruder Detection Audits conducted by the Texas School Safety Center. Further detail was provided to the board in executive session for safety and security.

Quarterly Investment Report for Quarter ended March 31, 2024
Vicki Garcia, Executive Director of Financial Operations, provided an overview to Trustees regarding the district’s investment report for the quarter ending March 31, 2024.

Ms. Garcia noted from Dec. 31, 2023 to March 31, 2024, the beginning market value of Denton ISD’s portfolio was $1,269,942,498.55, while the ending market value was $1,294,025,176.21 – representing a $24,082,677.70 increase in market value. 

Presentations and Recognitions

Community Spotlight – New Pi Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
Each year, the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) honors businesses and organizations for their support and exceptional advocacy of public schools. This statewide honor, as part of “Stand Up for Texas Public Schools,” recognizes local businesses, community organizations and individuals that partner with school districts, making a difference in the lives of public-school students. 

The New Pi Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. has been incredibly active throughout Denton ISD, volunteering their time and resources to support students and staff. Sigma Gamma Rho volunteered at Denton ISD’s Back to School Fairs in 2023 and has also donated school supplies to Rodriguez Middle School and Ann Windle School for Young Children.

In addition, Sigma Gamma Rho is also passionate about mentorship. Sigma Gamma Rho has made a profound impact on students at Ann Windle by taking time to volunteer and interact with them on multiple occasions, including most recently at their field day. 

For the unique way Sigma Gamma Rho has assisted our district, and for going above and beyond to assist our students and staff, we wish to thank them for their continued support.

Discussion of Child Nutrition Community Eligibility Provision
Chris Bomberger, Executive Director of Child Nutrition and Risk Management, and Liz Raftery, Director of Child Nutrition, provided an update on the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which enables eligible schools to provide breakfast and lunch to all students at no cost. 

Ms. Raftery noted that schools must have an identified student percentage (ISP) of 25 percent to be considered. The ISP eligibility summary includes students enrolled in SNAP/TANF or Medicaid. The recommended campuses for the CEP include: Ann Windle, Rivera Elementary, Gonzalez School for Young Children, Borman Elementary, Ginnings Elementary, Hodge Elementary, Alexander Elementary, Evers Park Elementary and Stephens Elementary. 

The impact of CEP for Denton ISD and families include reducing unpaid meal balances by approximately $40,000 while providing families with an average savings of $774 per child for providing breakfast and lunch. Ms. Raftery also noted participating in CEP does not impact Title I funding for selected campuses. 

Discussion of 2024-2025 Budget
Dr. Jeremy Thompson, Deputy Superintendent, provided an update on the 2024-2025 budget. Dr. Thompson noted average daily attendance currently through the 5th period attendance reporting is 30,713.22. 

Dr. Thompson also detailed the linear property value growth over the last eight years. Additionally, he explained the total revenue for the 2023-2024 amended budget was $322,340,274, as compared to the 2023-2024 adopted budget of $315,229,362. For 2024-2025 revenue assumptions, Dr. Thompson noted those will be made assuming a 10 percent growth in property values and an average daily attendance (ADA) of 31,000. The estimated total revenue for 2024-2025 based on those assumptions is $320,641,132, which is $1,699,142 less than total revenue of the 2023-2024 amended budget. 

Denton ISD Utility Management Audit
Paul Andress, Executive Director of Operations, and Brandon Hoke, TD Industries Engineer, provided an update on Denton ISD’s utility usage from July 2023 to December 2023. Mr. Hoke noted a 16 percent increase in total usage, which directly correlates with a 14 percent increase in district square footage. Denton ISD maintains 7 million sq. feet of building under roof.  Mr. Hoke explained that compared to July-December 2022, electric cost increased 5.1 percent, representing $184,669, while gas cost decreased 29.2 percent, representing $66,595 in savings. 

In addition, Mr. Hoke detailed each utility rate for electric, gas, potable water, irrigation water and well water. Texas electric rate trends were also explained, which have risen sharply over the past year, while Texas gas rates have decreased. A solar update was also provided for Union Park, Sandbrock Ranch and Shultz Elementary Schools. Combined, each of those three schools’ solar panels have saved the district $117,582.81 over the last year. 

5th Reporting Period Attendance Report
Dr. Lesli Guajardo, Director of District and Student Support Services, provided an update on the 5th period attendance report.

Intruder Detection Audit
Denton ISD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jamie Wilson provided an update on the recent Intruder Detection Audits conducted by the Texas School Safety Center. Further detail was provided to the board in executive session for safety and security.

Discussion of Board Operating Procedures
Dr. Deron Robinson, General Counsel, reviewed changes to the board operating procedures.

2024-2025 Salary Recommendations
Jason Rainey, Interim Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, discussed the 2024-2025 salary recommendations. As Denton ISD has received no state funding increase in the per pupil allotment, this proposed recommendation includes: no pay increase for employees and an adjustment to decrease the starting pay from $59,340 to $59,000 for beginning teachers. Mr. Rainey explained this change will maintain the current 2023-2024 pay for all employees for the 2024-2025 school year.

Presentations and Recognitions

Board Spotlight – Braswell Teacher, Coach Recognized for Work with Students
Braswell teacher and offensive coordinator Charles Hitchens has a heart for his students. Mr. Hitchens makes it his mission to build a meaningful connection and relationship with every student who enters his classroom, or who he coaches on the football field.

Mr. Hitchens is passionate about seeing his students succeed, and his students’ success is his greatest reward. In the year that he has been at Braswell, dozens of students have felt the impact Mr. Hitchens has made not just on their academic career – but in their life. 

Mr. Hitchens’ No. 1 goal is to show students that he cares about them, supports them and is their biggest advocate. The relationships that Mr. Hitchens builds with his students, he hopes, prosper into lifelong connections that lead to lifelong success. 

Early Childhood/Pre-K Update
Cecilia Holt, Director of Early Childhood Education, provided an early childhood and Pre-K update. Ms. Holt noted the growth in enrollment year over year from 2020 to 2024. Currently, Denton ISD has 1,624 students enrolled in early childhood education. In addition, the number of Pre-K classrooms has increased from 89 in 2022-2023 to 95 in 2023-2024. Ms. Holt explained of the 1,624 students enrolled, 80.5 percent are 4-year-olds and 19.5 percent are three-year-olds. 

Dr. Chris Rangel, Ann Windle School for Young Children Principal, detailed the academic growth students are experiencing. Dr. Rangel also explained the Texas Pre-K guidelines, which were new in 2023-2024. Some of those 10 domains include:

• Language and Communication
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social Studies
• Fine Arts

Discussion of Teacher/Principal Residency Partnership
Jason Rainey, Interim Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources and Jason Liewehr, Executive Director of Human Resources, provided an update on the district’s teacher/principal residency partnership with the University of North Texas. 

Denton ISD was selected by the University of North Texas as the pilot district for the Teacher Residency Program. The program launched August 2023 through the collaboration of university professors and Denton ISD administrators. There are 23 full-time UNT residents placed at three elementary campuses: Borman, Newton Rayzor, and W.S. Ryan. Residents are paired with an exemplary teacher, and teachers were hand-selected by the campus administrators. 
This residency provided an opportunity for these UNT seniors to earn wages while allowing them to complete their degrees and teaching certificates.

In March, 12 resident teachers signed their first employment contract with Denton ISD, taking a leap towards fulfilling their dream of working as a teacher. Denton ISD is in the process of expanding its residency footprint by adding two campuses at Alexander and Evers Park Elementary. 

Regarding the principal residency program, in partnership with UNT, this program provides a pathway for teachers to obtain a master’s degree in educational leadership while participating in a full-time, year-long residency program at a high-needs campus. Ten residents will be selected through an application process. 

Discussion of 2024-2025 Budget
Jennifer Stewart, Executive Director of Budget, provided an update on the 2024-2025 budget. Ms. Stewart discussed the district’s current fund balance given the $17 million deficit and the estimated fund balance for 2024-2025, assuming a $20 million deficit. Denton ISD’s fund balance for 2023-2024 is $77,693,394. If the district adopted a $20 million deficit for the 2024-2025 as a result of no additional funding from the State of Texas, Denton ISD’s fund balance would dip to $57,693,394.

Ms. Stewart also explained how the change in fund balance could potentially impact the district’s Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) rating. Should Denton ISD adopt a deficit budget of $20 million again in 2025-2026, the highest rating the district could receive is 89 points, or a B. Denton ISD has received the highest possible FIRST rating of an A for 21 consecutive years. 

Announcement of Board Continuing Education Hours 
Since 1996, the State Board of Education (SBOE) rule has required the board president to make a public announcement each year of the names of those board members who have completed the required continuing education, who has exceeded the required hours of continuing education, and who is deficient in meeting the required continuing education as of the anniversary of the date of each board member's election or appointment to the board. In June 2018, the Legislature amended the provisions to require that during the last regular meeting of the board of trustees before an election of trustees, the minutes reflect whether each board member has fulfilled their training requirements as of the date of the meeting.

Denton ISD Board President Mia Price announced each Denton ISD trustee has exceeded the State Board of Education requirement for the minimum number of hours required annually.

Presentations and Recognitions

Thirteen Denton ISD Students Selected for All-State Band, Choir, Orchestra, Dance
Thirteen Denton ISD musicians and dancers earned All-State honors for the 2023-2024 school year from the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) and the Texas Dance Educators Association (TDEA).

TMEA is an organization of more than 12,000 school music educators dedicated to promoting excellence in music education. Musicians are chosen for the prestigious honor of all-state through a competitive process held across Texas at the district, region and area levels. This process begins throughout the state in auditions hosted by 33 TMEA regions.

The TDEA All-State Dance Team is comprised of dancers representing schools from across the state of Texas. All-State dancers participated in the TDEA All-State Convention Jan. 10-13 in Houston. The experience included dance workshops, leadership training, master classes and networking with other students. The All-State Dance Team experience culminates in a performance choreographed by a master choreographer.

The Denton ISD students named to the highest musical and dance honor in Texas include the following:

Braswell High Band
Nathan Contreras, All-State Jazz Ensemble, Trumpet
Mr. Aaron Snipes III, Director
Mr. Taylor Sitzman, Assistant Director
Mr. DeCorian Hailey, Principal

Braswell High Choir
Matthew Barrios, All-State Choir, Tenor 2
Mr. Derrick Brookins, Director
Ms. Kaela Vance, Assistant Director
Mr. DeCorian Hailey, Principal

Braswell High Dance
Keira Oshunkentan, All-State Dance
Ms. Kristina Rankin, Ms. Briana Eason and Ms. Tiana Martinez, Directors
Mr. DeCorian Hailey, Principal

Denton High Dance
Grey Collier, All-State Dance
Ms. Kerri Burgess and Ms. Jamitrice Keating-Lynton, Directors
Mr. Joel Hays, Principal

Guyer High Orchestra
Celine Cho, All-State Philharmonic Orchestra, Violin
Ms. Michelle Hanlon, Director
Ms. Sarah Wright, Assistant Director
Dr. Shaun Perry, Principal

Guyer High Choir
Anastasia Reed, All-State Choir, Soprano 2
Marshall Miller, All-State Choir, Bass 1
Ms. Katherine Engle, Director
Mr. Tyler Fox, Assistant Director
Dr. Shaun Perry, Principal

Guyer High Dance
Sophia Moore, All-State Dance
Ms. Rachel Simpson and Ms. Lauren Uddin, Directors
Dr. Shaun Perry, Principal

Ryan High Choir
Favour Ayeni, All-State Treble Choir, Alto 2
Mr. David Rives, Director
Mx. Sam Kats, Assistant Director
Mr. Vernon Reeves, Principal

Ryan High Band
Pablo Acosta, All-State Bass Clarinet
Cooper Randolph, All-State Contrabass Clarinet
Mr. Jarrod Beard, Director
Ms. Nachel Konemann, Associate Director
Mr. Vernon Reeves, Principal

Ryan High Orchestra
Osiel Cardenas, All-State Viola
Mr. Jeremy Atkins, Director
Mr. Vernon Reeves, Principal

Ryan High Dance
Jayden Luster, All-State Dance
Ms. Keli Jones and Ms. Emily Schaefer, Directors
Mr. Vernon Reeves, Principal

Denton ISD Communications Department Receives TSPRA Gold Star Award, Best of Category for Website Design
Members of Denton ISD’s Communications and Community Relations Department received a Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) Gold Star Award, as well as a “Best of Category” commendation, for website design signifying the website is the best in the state of Texas for the 2023-2024 year.

Courtney Dunning, Web Content Coordinator and Colby Cervantes, Web Content Specialist, were the recipients of the award in the division of districts serving 15,000-40,000 students. TSPRA’s annual Star Awards provide recognition for the outstanding education communications and projects of its members, and the entries are evaluated by impartial judges.

Both Ms. Dunning and Mr. Cervantes were instrumental in overhauling Denton ISD’s website and implementing a vibrant, visually-driven, responsive design in the Spring of 2023. The new design displays each of Denton ISD’s branding, which makes it welcoming, while also incorporating more user-friendly features and functionality.

Community Spotlight
Each year, the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) honors businesses, organizations and individuals for their support and exceptional advocacy of public schools. This statewide honor, as part of “Stand Up for Texas Public Schools,” recognizes local businesses, community organizations and individuals that partner with school districts, making a difference in the lives of public-school students.

Lauren Coffey with the Education Retirement Program (ERP) of Texas has made it her mission to support Denton ISD teachers and staff any way she can. Over the last several years, she has partnered with the National Life Group to honor Denton ISD teachers through the LifeChanger of the Year.

Ms. Coffey has been instrumental in bringing this program to Denton ISD, which annually honors teachers, staff members and educators nationwide who make a significant difference in students’ lives. This year alone, Denton ISD has 13 nominees for the LifeChanger of the Year. Winners of the LifeChanger of the Year have the opportunity to win up to $10,000 for the grand prize, with a total of $70,000 awarded yearly across 17 winners nationwide.

Discussion of 2024-2025 Budget
Jennifer Stewart, Executive Director of Budget, provided an update on the 2024-2025 budget. Ms. Stewart discussed the 2023-2024 average daily attendance rate (ADA), which through the fourth six weeks, averages 94.64 percent. 

“We are funded based on attendance, not enrollment,” said Dr. Jamie Wilson, Superintendent of Schools. “Also take note that this next school year we will open an additional elementary campus by reallocating existing staff - we will not add positions.”

In addition, Ms. Stewart explained the projected revenue budget summary for 2023-2024 compared to the adopted revenue budget summary for 2023-2024. The difference between the projected budget versus the adopted budget is $5.48 million, leaving the adopted revenue budget for 2023-2024 at $315,229,362. 

Ms. Stewart further detailed the expenditure budget for 2023-2024, which equaled $333,079,765. However, the district did receive $5,274,000 in revenue gains, stemming from interest earnings, tuition-based programs, excess tax and sale of property. Denton ISD also saved $3.5 million from budgeted vacancies and personnel costs reclassified to other funding sources. The district experienced $3 million in unexpected loss in revenue due to school health and related services (SHARS) funding losses, as well as $5.2 million in additional costs due to contractual obligations and substitute costs. As a result, Denton ISD is projected to incur a $17,276,403 ending deficit for 2023-2024. 

Regarding basic allotment, Ms. Stewart noted the State of Texas has not increased the basic allotment since 2019 despite record inflation. 

Staff and Family Engagement Update
Emily McLarty, Director of Staff Engagement and Julie Zwahr, Chief Communications Officer provided an update on staff and family engagement. 

Ms. McLarty explained the importance of staff and family engagement, and more importantly, how the two are intertwined. Better staff engagement leads to higher family engagement, which leads to increased student engagement and student achievement. An engaged staff experiences a strong connection with the school and district, know that their voice matters and their contribution is important and feel recognized and appreciated for the work they do. 

Ms. Zwahr noted that engaged families experience a strong feeling of pride, serve as the school’s advocate when topics of education are discussed and have a positive emotional relationship with their child’s school. Ms. Zwahr further explained that Gallup compares Denton ISD’s family engagement survey results with top Fortune 100 companies and high-operating corporations. 

Denton ISD’s employee engagement score has increased year-over-year since 2021-2022, rising from 3.94 to 4.01 in 2022-2023 and 4.06 in 2023-2024. The results of high employee engagement are lower absenteeism, decreased turnover, increased student engagement and increased student achievement.

Denton ISD’s family engagement scores increased in all five categories: school environment, academic standards, strength and development, school communications and school leadership. School environment increased from 3.94 to 4.06, academic standards increased from 3.84 to 3.96, strength and development increased from 3.98 to 4.12, school communications increased from 3.78 to 3.96 and school leadership increased from 4.04 to 4.17 from 2022 to 2023.

In addition, the total number of respondents for Denton ISD’s family engagement survey nearly doubled from 2022 to 2023. 

“Participation has dramatically increased,” Ms. Zwahr said. “Gallup does not see this type of growth across all categories while nearly doubling the number of respondents. This is a true testament to the leadership on our campuses and the job our staff is doing interacting with our families and the community. Gallup is using these results as an example across the country. This is something of which to be incredibly proud.” 

Bond Progress Report
Community Volunteers Aimee Jones and Suzanne Danhoff  provided Trustees with a bond progress report based on a recent review by the committee. A team of community members review financial statements, building plans and any adjustments that have occurred each quarter to ensure the projects materialize as they were portrayed to the community. The process is an additional level of transparency that is a common practice of the district.

Construction Report
Brandon Boyter, Denton ISD Executive Director of Construction, Planning and Growth, provided an update on active construction projects ongoing in the district from the 2018 and 2023 bonds. Mr. Boyter detailed the progress of Calhoun Middle School and Newton Rayzor Elementary School’s replacement campuses, which were funded from the 2018 bond referendum. He also discussed progress from the 2023 bond, specifically at Hill Elementary and Martinez Elementary School. Mr. Boyter noted the exterior walls at Hill and Martinez have both already been constructed. 

4th Period Attendance Report
Dr. Lesli Guajardo, Director of District and Student Support Services provided an update on the 4th period attendance report, noting the average daily attendance (ADA) year to date is 93.1 percent. 

Intruder Detection Audit Report
Denton ISD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jamie Wilson provided an update on the recent Intruder Detection Audits conducted by the Texas School Safety Center. Further detail was provided to the board in executive session for safety and security.

Presentations and Recognitions

Denton ISD’s Board of School Trustees recognized several groups and individuals at Tuesday night’s meeting, including Ryan High School students Emily Stanley, Amoren Newton and Josiah Taylor. Trustees also recognized the Guyer High School Theatre Department.

Emily has been named a finalist in the nationwide Congressional High School Art Competition. This juried contest is open to all public, private and home-schooled students residing and or attending school in the 26th Congressional District of Texas. 

Amoren was named the Best Performer at the Class 5A UIL state One Act Play competition. Amoren’s role in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” earned him the prestigious honor.

Josiah won the 5A State Championship in the 100-meter dash. Josiah completed the race, which was held at the University of Texas at Austin, in 10.39 seconds.

Guyer High School Theatre won Broadway Dallas’ most outstanding musical award for its production of Anastasia at the 12th annual Broadway Dallas Theater Awards. Guyer also won awards for Outstanding Music Direction and Outstanding Lead Performer. No other theatre program or production scored as many points in as many major categories. 

 

Denton ISD Honors Longtime Trustee Dr. Jim Alexander 

Denton ISD’s Board of School Trustees celebrated the service of Dr. Jim Alexander at a board meeting on Tuesday night, which marked the end of his 30-year tenure as a trustee.

Since being elected in 1993, Dr. Alexander has served as Board President twice and Board Secretary twice. Dr. Alexander won 10 consecutive elections over the past three decades. He did not seek reelection in May. 

Additionally, Denton ISD also installed a new trustee – Lori Tays – who is replacing the outgoing Dr. Jim Alexander. The district also swore in Dr. Patricia Sosa-Sanchez, who won her reelection bid last month. 

 

Budget, Compensation for 2023-2024 Fiscal Year Approved

Denton ISD’s Board of School Trustees adopted and approved the district’s 2023-2024 fiscal year budget at a meeting on Tuesday night. 

The district’s 2023-2024 budget consists of $333 million in total general operating fund expenditures and $315 million in total general operating fund revenues. 

The budget incorporates a three percent raise for all employee groups, except for administrative professionals, who will receive a two percent raise. Unlike in previous years, however, these raises are based on employees’ current salaries, rather than the midpoint. This pay increase positively affects 2,500 of our experienced teachers and librarians.

 

Benefits Change for 2023-2024

On May 25, Denton ISD was informed that TSHBP’s reinsurance carrier has declined to continue coverage for Denton ISD and 51 additional school districts. Their decision to severe the relationship was based on utilization data for the 10 months of service provided and the cost of the policy to reinsure. Employees who currently have the policy remain insured until Aug. 31 or an alternative solution is reached.

Trustees approved a Board Resolution authorizing the Superintendent to proceed with securing coverage based on information received over the next few weeks. Granting Dr. Wilson the limited authority to negotiate, may give the district an advantage when organizations present cost-effective, viable solutions that could be time sensitive. It may accelerate our timeline and help alleviate any undue stress or worry this short-term inconvenience may cause for our staff. 

School District employees (existing and new) habitually complete their benefits package each summer and we are still within the normal window as far as our enrollment period is concerned.

Chris Bomberger, executive director of child nutrition, risk management and benefits, continues to receive information and proposals from other providers including Baylor Scott & White; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas; Cigna Health Services; Texas Health Resources and United Healthcare Services. 

Denton ISD will provide access to health care coverage for all employees and more information will be available in the next few weeks.

 

Leadership 2023-2024

Dr. Jeremy Thompson, superintendent of Ponder ISD, will serve as the Deputy Superintendent of Business and Operations. He joins the district following the retirement of Dr. Scott Niven at the end of the summer.

Following the closure of the K-8 Virtual Academy, Caleb Leath has been named the principal of Ginnings Elementary. Dr. Claudia Calvo-Montes will lead Gonzalez School for Young Children following the retirement of Felicia Spraberry.

 

Bond Sale for 2023 Capital Improvement Plan

The 2023 Bond Program will be implemented without an I&S tax rate increase, as approved by voters on May 6, 2023 The Series 2023 Bonds will initially be structured with annual principal payments over the next 30 years (i.e. final maturity of August 2053). However, Denton ISD will have the flexibility to prepay the bonds before scheduled maturity, without penalty.

Projects funded from the 2023 Bond Program will be financed over their useful lives for example technology, devices, buses and furniture, fixture and equipment (FFE) will be financed in shorter-term debt to match their shorter life expectancy.

Through aggressive debt management practices, Denton ISD has refinanced debt and reduced the cost of voter-approved bonds providing taxpayers with more than $311.2 million of direct savings since year 2005. 

Other Items of Note - Discussed/Approved

Intruder Detection Audit Report Summary

Student & Parent Handbook for 2023-2024

Student Code of Conduct for 2023-2024

Chromebook/Device Refresh Purchase for 2022-2023

Presentations and Recognitions

Denton ISD’s Board of School Trustees recognized several groups and individuals at Tuesday night’s meeting, including Ryan High School freshman Sophiya Islam. Sophiya was named to the World Affairs Council’s (WAC) prestigious “20 Under 20” class – an honor recognizing 20 exceptional high school students under the age of 20 who are active in their local Junior World Affairs Council (JWAC).

Twenty under 20 spotlights young people in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex who consistently give back to their communities and exemplify what it means to be a global citizen. The WAC’s 20 Under 20 list was established in 2016 as part of the Global Young Leaders Program. The WAC’s mission is to educate and engage the community in local, national and global affairs. 

Sophiya was honored at a celebration on May 10 at the Gene A. Buniger Career and Technical Education Academy in Bedford, along with the 19 other members in this year’s class, for her award. 

Recognition for Foster Grandparents

Each year, the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) honors businesses and organizations for their support and exceptional advocacy of public schools. This statewide honor, as part of “Stand Up for Texas Public Schools,” recognizes local businesses and community organizations that partner with school districts, making a difference in the lives of public school students.

Since its inception in 1965, Americorps Seniors and the Foster Grandparents program has been instrumental in mentoring students across Denton. Through our partnership with them, Americorps Seniors’ Foster Grandparents have been able to come into classrooms at multiple campuses across the district, making an impact while helping our students learn and grow. 

This program has become a staple across Denton ISD, as our students and teachers alike share a special bond and connection with these selfless individuals. 

For their continued support and the unique way they assist our district, students and staff, we wish to thank Americorps Seniors’ Foster Grandparents for their continued partnership. 

Workshop Items

Discussion of Property/Casualty Insurance

Denton ISD Executive Director of Risk Management Chris Bomberger gave an update on the district’s property/casualty insurance. Mr. Bomberger discussed current market conditions and their impact on insurance coverage. He also addressed the district’s insurance needs and coverage options. Mr. Bomberger noted a combined 19.53 percent increase in the total cost of premiums (property, school liability, auto liability, etc.) for 2023-2024 compared to 2022-2023. Mr. Bomberger also discussed liability for auto, as well as worker’s compensation in his presentation. 

Discussion of 2023-2024 Budget 

Denton ISD Executive Director of Budget Jennifer Stewart gave an update on the 2023-2024 budget, including the average daily attendance, revenue and expenditures. Ms. Stewart also provided a legislative update. In her presentation, Ms. Stewart noted the enrollment and average daily attendance for the fifth six weeks and the school year. Additionally, Ms. Stewart highlighted a $19.6 million decrease in state funding, which represents a 29.4 percent decrease. Ms. Stewart also gave Trustees an update on preliminary property values for this year, which represents an initial 35.49 percent increase. 

Legislative Updates for the 88th Legislative Session 

Denton ISD General Counsel Deron Robinson gave an update on the 88th Legislative Session. As of May 16, 8,345 bills have been filed and 1,294 were education bills. 

Report Items

Bond Progress Report

Community volunteer Kathy Lawson gave Trustees an update on the progress of the 2018 bond referendum. 

Growth Report 

Bob Templeton from Zonda provided Trustees with a quarterly growth report for the first quarter of 2023. Mr. Templeton noted various economic indicators, residential activity within the district, projected enrollment and its impact on the overall growth of Denton ISD. Denton ISD’s enrollment has increased by more than 3,100 students since 2017-18. The district has 65 actively building subdivisions with over 4,360 lots available to build on. Denton ISD has 31 future subdivisions with more than 25,500 lots in the planning stages. Groundwork is underway on more than 2,760 lots within 10 subdivisions. Denton ISD is forecasted to enroll nearly 36,640 students by 2027-28 and more than 42,460 by 2032-33. 

Construction Report 

Denton ISD’s Executive Director of Construction Planning and Growth Brandon Boyter gave Trustees a report on various construction projects throughout the district. Active construction projects include Calhoun Middle School’s replacement campus, Newton Rayzor Elementary’s replacement campus, Cheek Middle School, LaGrone Academy additions/renovations and the Transportation East Facility. Construction for Cheek and LaGrone are expected to be finished in Summer 2023, while the Transportation East Facility is expected to be completed in the coming weeks. Both Calhoun Middle School and Newton Rayzor Elementary construction is forecasted to be finished in Summer 2024. 

Early Childhood Update

Denton ISD Director of Early Childhood Cecilia Holt provided Trustees with information regarding the Early Childhood Education department for the 2023-2024. Ms. Holt noted 2022-2023 had the largest increase in total enrollment dating over the past seven years. She also highlighted growth across every Early Childhood Education program in the district. For the 2023-2024 school year, there are 641 new 4-year-olds registered. There are 825 total new students who have applied. Over the next five years, Denton ISD’s Pre-K program is expected to grow, with the potential to serve roughly 2,400 3 and 4-year olds. 

Intruder Detection Audit Report Update

Denton ISD Superintendent Dr. Jamie Wilson provided an update to the recent Intruder Detection Audits conducted by the Texas School Safety Center. Further detail was provided to the board in executive session for the purpose of safety and security

Presentations and Recognitions

Denton ISD’s Board of School Trustees recognized several groups and individuals at Tuesday night’s meeting, including 49 Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE) students who placed in the top 10 at the state contest and competition. 

Of those 49 students, 18 qualified for the national competition. The top 10 from each category can advance to nationals. 

“I am extremely proud of our Teach Denton TAFE students who have competed and placed at the state level and who are advancing on to nationals this summer,” said Leah Zavala, Denton ISD’s Teach Denton District Coordinator. “This year was Denton ISD’s first time to have middle school students compete. We are one of three districts in Texas to have middle schools compete in TAFE. I am proud of all the students’ hard work and dedication and the teachers that lead them at each campus.”

TAFE is a co-curricular statewide non-profit (501-c3) student organization created to allow young men and women an opportunity to explore the teaching profession. The organization was created in 1984 to provide the best and brightest high school and middle school students in Texas with the necessary knowledge to make informed decisions about pursuing careers in education. 

TAFE is sponsored by the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals and is governed by a board of directors composed of teachers, students and principals.

Denton ISD’s TAFE state winners include Crownover Middle School’s Mia Allgood, Ella Brown, D’asia Fuqua-Smith, Jerry Yang, Sophia Gallamore, Morgan Singleton, Drake Shesler, Elizabeth Gormley and Valeria Zaragoza-Gonzalez; Myers Middle School’s Shahid Bouyadjera, London Laurent, Giselle Calderon, Yaretzi Borja, Julliana Rivera, Isabella Warren, Shelby Hartman, Aniyah Flores, Aaliyah Crawford, Arely Campos, Melody Fernandez, Aubrey Stevens, Jade Dickson, Kai Williams, Alexys Downs, Tiona Rohrer, Emily Landeros and Renata Fernandez.

Other winners include Braswell High School’s Payton Glutsch and Abbigail Swierczynski; Guyer High School’s Matthew Spivey, Aubrie Benton, Abigail Cannedy, Alivia Christensen and Christian Cruz-Sotelo; and the LaGrone Academy’s Rylee Risdon, Madison Mallouf, Sam Gist, Ava Smethers, Evdokia Papanikolaou, Brilynn Hatten, Torrin Best, Emery Allen, Paige Hammons, Viana Columna, MaKenna Justin and Kendall Justin. 

Lastly, as part of the district’s Community Spotlight, Trustees recognized Jostens. 

Each year, the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) honors businesses and organizations for their support and exceptional advocacy of local schools. This state-wide honor, as part of “Stand Up for Texas Public Schools,” recognizes local businesses and community organizations that partner with districts, making a difference in the lives of local public school students.

For more than a decade, our partnership with Jostens has been one of longtime support and philanthropy. As a corporation that is known worldwide for elevating memories and special moments in time, they continually celebrate education and Denton ISD Teachers of the Year.

As a prominent locally operated organization employing many of our parents, Jostens provides a personal connection to the award of excellence.

For their continued support and the unique way they assist our district as we honor our local public educators, we wish to thank them for their renewed partnership year after year.

Workshop Items

Discussion of 2023-2024 Budget 

Denton ISD Executive Director of Budget Jennifer Stewart gave an update on House Bill 100, average daily attendance (ADA) and basic allotment increase scenarios. Ms. Stewart noted HB 100 would increase the basic allotment from $6,250 in 2024 to $6,300 in 2025, and it would require 50% of the gain be used for salary increases for teachers, counselors, nurses and librarians. HB100 also would increase transportation funding. Additionally, Ms. Stewart highlighted the district’s ADA for the fifth six weeks of the current school year is 30,341.53. 

Legislative Updates for the 88th Legislative Session 

Denton ISD General Counsel Deron Robinson, Blanton Elementary School Principal Landon Turrubiarte and McNair Elementary Principal Djenane Bolton  gave an update on the 88th Legislative Session. As of April 21, 8,267 total bills have been filed, and of those, 1,301 have been education-related. To date, 106 education bills have passed out of committee. May 8 is the last day for House committees to report out House bills, and May 29 is the last day of the Legislative session. Mr. Robinson noted the district is watching several bills, including House Bill 681, which is relating to virtual and off-campus electronic instruction at a public school and the allotment for certain special-purpose school districts under the Foundation School Program. This bill removes sunset provisions from SB15 and was passed by the House on April 20. Other bills the district is watching include HB100, HB1416, HB4402, HB4514, HB4656, HB4522, HB669, HB13, HB3, SB2117, and SB2205. 

Discussion of Board Operating Procedures

Board of Trustees Vice President Barbara Burns reviewed changes to the board operating procedures. Ms. Burns noted that it is now recommended for a trustee to serve one full term before serving as a board officer. To be eligible for a board officer position, a minimum of one full term of board service is preferred, as well as TASB Board Officer training, among other changes. 

Discussion of Compensation Plan

Denton ISD Executive Director of Professional Personnel Jason Rainey provided information regarding salary increases for Denton ISD staff for the 2023-2024 school year. Mr. Rainey presented models for 2%, 3% or 4% increases of each pay grade midpoint for all employees. 

Report Items

5th Reporting Period Attendance Report 

Denton ISD Superintendent Dr. Jamie Wilson gave a summary of the district’s ADA and reporting 5th period update for the 2022-2023 school year in comparison to past year’s data.

Intruder Detection Audit Report Update

Denton ISD Superintendent Dr. Jamie Wilson provided an update to the recent Intruder Detection Audits conducted by the Texas School Safety Center. Further detail was provided to the board in executive session for the purpose of safety and security

Presentations and Recognitions

Denton ISD’s Board of School Trustees recognized the LaGrone Academy’s cosmetology program at Tuesday night’s meeting. 

First, trustees recognized LaGrone’s cosmetology program as a whole. 

A school program rarely enters two dozen students in a state-wide contest and has all entries either win or place in the top three. The LaGrone cosmetology program made that history recently. What started as a class for students who may have just believed this to be a hobby is now translating into a very engaging career path for many.

Because of their outstanding instructors and talented students, trustees wanted to celebrate their success as an entire program. 

Lastly, trustees recognized the 24 LaGrone Academy students who placed at the SkillsUSA state cosmetology competition. SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce.

The SkillsUSA competition promotes leadership and trade excellence in a competitive situation and gives students an opportunity to demonstrate basic skills of their field. The competitions begin at the local level with contests in classrooms nationwide, followed by district, state, national and even the WorldSkills events.

In addition to showcasing their skills in their field, students frequently make job contacts and have a chance of recognition. District, state and national winners receive gold, silver and bronze medallions, scholarships, tools and other awards.

Of the 24 Denton ISD students who placed, 22 finished first. Every student who competed in the job exhibition brought either a photo panel of their work or presented their work via a mannequin or other medium. Each student also brought a binder that corresponded with their project. Students who competed in esthetics competed on-site with a client, providing make-up and facials.

Workshop Items

Discussion of Denton ISD Virtual Academy 

Denton ISD Virtual Academy Principal Caleb Leath provided an overview of current enrollment in the Virtual Academy, as well as information for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year. Mr. Leath explained how the school operates, including school schedules, subjects and electives offered. In addition, students are able to engage in clubs to participate in. Mr. Leath went on to explain that the Virtual Academy is unique in that it is a combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction, giving teachers the opportunity to connect with students. All grade levels have seen an increase in their reading on grade level percentage year-to-date versus when the school year began. Based on parent/guardian feedback, 88.5% indicated they were very satisfied with their educational experience at the Virtual Academy. 

Discussion of 2023-2024 Budget 

Denton ISD Executive Director of Budget Jennifer Stewart gave an update on the basic allotment increase scenarios, local tax collections/state funding, average daily attendance and a legislative update. Ms. Stewart noted that Denton ISD has lowered the total tax rate $0.195 cents since 2017-2018, lowering the M&O tax rate from 1.06 down to 0.8646, currently. Lastly, Ms. Stewart highlighted some of the bills the district is monitoring during the 88th Legislative Session, including HB1, HB2, SB3 and SB4. SB3, if approved, would increase the homestead exemption to $70,000. 

Legislative Updates for the 88th Legislative Session 

Denton ISD General Counsel Deron Robinson gave an update on the 88th Legislative Session. Mr. Robinson discussed as of April 7, 98 education bills have passed out of committee and 14 education bills have passed out of the originating chamber. Thirty-three education bills are scheduled for a hearing the week of April 10. Bills the district is watching include House Bill 1, which includes $17 billion for property tax relief. HB1 passed the house to the senate on a 136 to 10 vote on April 6. House Bill 100 would establish a minimum salary schedule for classroom teachers and other specific school employees. HB100 was heard in a public hearing on April 4. Other bills Denton ISD is watching include House Bill 3, House Bill 5, Senate Bill 8, Senate Bill 9, and Senate Bill 3. 

Report Items

Announcement of Board Continuing Education Hours 

Since 1996, the State Board of Education (SBOE) rule has required the board president to make a public announcement each year of the names of those board members who have completed the required continuing education, who has exceeded the required hours of continuing education, and who is deficient in meeting the required continuing education as of the anniversary of the date of each board member's election or appointment to the board. In June 2018, the Legislature amended the provisions to require that during the last regular meeting of the board of trustees before an election of trustees, the minutes reflect whether each board member has fulfilled their training requirements as of the date of the meeting.

Denton ISD Board President Mia Price announced each Denton ISD trustee has exceeded the State Board of Education requirement for the minimum number of hours required annually.

Presentations and Recognitions

Denton ISD’s Board of School Trustees recognized several groups and individuals at Tuesday night’s meeting, including 15 art students representing Braswell High, Guyer High and Ryan High, who qualified for state in the Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE). 

VASE is an annual competition with nearly 35,000 entries. Academically eligible high school students in grades 9-12 can participate in VASE.

Students create artwork, write about their creative processes and understanding of visual art and articulate information about their artwork during an interview with a VASE juror, who evaluates their work using a standards-based rubric. To qualify for state, students must attend a regional event and have their original artwork with them at the event. 

Jurors then interview students and evaluate the artwork using the aforementioned rubric. Artwork receiving an Exemplary Rating (IV) will receive a medallion at the state VASE competition. The state jury panel will then select Gold Seal winners from artwork receiving an Exemplary Writing, and Gold Seal artworks receive a State Gold Seal medallion.

Trustees also recognized Ryan High School social studies teacher Amanda Ledwon for being named the World Affairs Council (WAC) International Educator of the Year. 

A veteran educator with more than 20 years of experience, Ms. Ledwon has taught social studies at Ryan High School since 2019. She has been associated with the WAC for over seven years.

Ms. Ledwon is known for her passion and dedication to involving students in international studies. She reads the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights to her students each year to educate them about this important global topic. Through her teaching, she has inspired former students to pursue both undergraduate and graduate degrees in human rights.

Ms. Ledwon’s two-decade teaching career has covered all education levels, from grade school to college. In addition to teaching social studies at Ryan High School, she is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Texas at Dallas and an adjunct professor at Texas Woman’s University and Collin College.

In 2021, Ms. Ledwon received the district’s Honor Graduate Educator of Influence Award. She has been a member of the Ukrainian American Society of Texas and Zorya Ukrainian Dance Ensemble since 2000. For the 2010-2011 school year, she was an alternate for the Garcia Robles Fulbright Study Abroad Grant to Mexico. In 2016, she was part of the Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad Scholarship “Through the Lens of Jordan: Integrating Middle Eastern Narratives into North Texas Social Studies Curriculum.”

Lastly, trustees recognized the Denton Noon Kiwanis Club. 

Each year, the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) honors businesses and organizations for their support and exceptional advocacy of local schools. This state-wide honor, as part of “Stand Up for Texas Public Schools,” recognizes local businesses and community organizations that partner with districts, making a difference in the lives of local public school students.

The Denton Noon Kiwanis Club has served the children of our community for more than 100 years. Through a valuable partnership with our campus nurses, the Kiwanis Club provides healthcare services to children in our community through a non-profit clinic solely supported by the fundraising efforts of the noon Kiwanis.

Denton ISD nursing professionals, through a referral process, connect families to the clinic who need assistance for their student(s). Whether it involved much-needed medication, eye exams or dental procedures this organization fill the gap to address services for our students.

Year after year, decade after decade, the Denton Noon Kiwanis Club has, both financially and philosophically, supported our district-wide initiatives due to its belief in public education and commitment to providing access and opportunities for all children.

Workshop Items

Discussion of 2023-2024 Budget 

Denton ISD Executive Director of Budget Jennifer Stewart gave an update on current school year debt service, planning estimates for 2023-2024 and potential legislative bills. Mrs. Stewart noted the district was able to pay an additional $31 million toward principal on bond payments in 2022-2023. Additionally, she highlighted Denton ISD saved taxpayers $19.5 million in 2022-2023 alone, and since 2005, has saved taxpayers $311.2 million. Ms. Stewart also provided an update on Senate Bill 3 and House Bill 2, which would increase homestead exemptions to $70,000 and reduce appraisal growth limit from 10% to 5%, respectively, if passed. 

Legislative Updates for the 88th Legislative Session 

Denton ISD General Counsel Deron Robinson gave an update on the 88th Legislative Session. Mr. Robinson discussed the state of the session, noting 8,172 bills were filed, and of those, 1,307 are related to public education. Mr. Robinson said the district is watching numerous bills, including Senate Bill No. 8: relating to public education, including parental rights and public school responsibilities regarding instructional materials and the establishment of an education savings account program. Other bills the district is watching include: Senate Bill No. 3, House Bill No. 1416, House Bill No. 2570, Senate Bill No. 11, House Bill No. 3, House Bill No. 1157, Senate Bill No. 891, House Bill No. 681 and House Bill No. 1358.

Discussion of Human Resources Employee Engagement Survey 

Denton ISD Director of Human Resources for Staff Engagement Emily McLarty provided an update on staff engagement. Mrs. McLarty noted Gallup research indicates highly engaged teachers have significantly higher attendance rates. Denton ISD improved from 84-87% from the 2021-2022 school year to 94% this year. Denton ISD had the fifth lowest teacher turnover rate in 2021-2022 for the North Texas Region at just 14.2%. Mrs. McLarty said the district is focused on recognition, hearing employees’ voices and building connections. 

 

Report Items

Utility Management Report July 2022-December 2022

Denton ISD Executive Director of Operations Paul Andress provided an update on utility management from July 2022-December 2022. Trustees were provided with information regarding total consumption and cost comparison, analysis by utility type and percentage change of energy use. 

International Baccalaureate (IB) Report

Denton ISD Director of Advanced Academics and Assessment Dr. Amy Harp gave a report on how the Primary and Middle Year Programmes encourage students to become active, lifelong learning and to think creatively and critically. The Diploma Programme prepares students for the university experience. IB Coordinators provided updates specific to their school and spoke on student achievement at each. 

Intruder Detection Audit Report Update 

Denton ISD Superintendent Dr. Jamie Wilson presented a report to provide an update to the recent Intruder Detection Audits conducted by the Texas School Safety Center. Further detail was provided to the board in executive session for the purpose of safety and security. 

Presentations and Recognitions

Denton ISD’s Board of School Trustees recognized several groups and individuals at Tuesday night’s meeting, including 10 Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State band, choir and orchestra students. These students consisted of Braswell High School’s Arianna Shepherd, Denton High School’s Caleb Harold and Leo Illari, Ryan High School’s Favour Ayeni and Jack Bowman, and Guyer High School’s Cale Golden, Alden Daniels, Maxwell Douglas, Celine Cho and Audrey Lee. 

These students were chosen for this prestigious honor through a competitive process held across the state at the district, region and area levels. This process begins throughout the state in auditions hosted by 33 TMEA regions. Individual musicians perform selected music for a panel of judges who rank each instrument or voice part. From this ranking, a select group of musicians advance from their region to compete against musicians from areas in eight TMEA Area competitions. The highest ranking musicians judged at the area competition qualify to perform in a TMEA All-State music group. 

All-State is the highest honor a Texas music student can achieve. Only 1,875 students are selected through a process beginning with over 70,000 students – meaning only the top 2.6% of musicians who initially audition become All-State musicians.

Trustees also recognized the district’s theatre department for earning the Texas Thespians Premiere Communities for Theatre Education Award. Only nine out of 1,026 eligible districts were awarded this honor throughout the state. 

To qualify for the Texas Thespians Premiere Communities for Theatre Education Award, Denton ISD answered detailed questions about curriculum, scheduling standards, class sizes, facilities, theatre safety, technical equipment, production elements, overall support for the theatre program and Thespian troupe involvement. Responses were verified and reviewed by Texas Theatre Education specialists.

Representing the district’s theatre departments for the board recognition were Dr. Jackie deMontmollin, Director of Fine Arts, Michelle Greene, Braswell High School Theatre Director, Michael Cleveland, Denton High School Theatre Director, Eleshia Crotwell, Guyer High School Theatre Director and Jeannene Abney, Ryan High School Theatre Director.

Lastly, as part of the district’s Community Spotlight, Trustees recognized Texas Woman’s University.

Each year, the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) honors businesses and organizations for their support and exceptional advocacy of local schools. This state-wide honor, as part of “Stand Up for Texas Public Schools,” recognizes local businesses and community organizations that partner with districts, making a difference in the lives of local public school students.

Through a partnership with TWU, professors provide support to Denton ISD through in-service to teachers of record in dual-language classrooms at 12 schools. They also support faculty members, administrators and support staff at Denton and Braswell High Schools to effectively educate English language learners (ELLs). 

Since 2014, TWU has provided a pathway for Denton ISD Education and Training graduates to complete their educational preparation and return to the district to teach through TEACH Denton. The Consortium of State Organizations for Texas Teacher Education (SCOTTE) awarded TWU and Denton ISD the Exemplary Partnership Award. 

Because of the reciprocity and shared values of our organizations, Denton ISD hires more graduates of TWU than any other school district in Texas. 

Workshop Items

Discussion of 2023-2024 Budget Calendar
Denton ISD Executive Director of Budget Jennifer Stewart presented an overview of the 2023-2024 budget calendar. Mrs. Stewart explained that campuses and departments will submit their budgets in April. The district also receives projected property values in April. There will be a public hearing in June, and an adoption of the official budget will happen at that time. For 2023-2024, the district’s budget priorities will be the opening of Pat Cheek Middle School, compensation plan considerations and a review of contractual obligations that may have a cost increase. 

Discussion of Pedi Place Partnership
Denton ISD Director of Health Services Nicole Goodman presented to Trustees regarding a proposed partnership with Pedi-Place medical clinic. The clinic would offer quality care to students who currently lack access to care, which will allow students to return to class more quickly. This will also decrease the number of days absent due to treatable or preventable illness. If approved, Denton ISD would provide Pedi-Place with a location to use beginning later this year in Fall 2023. 

Discussion of Mid-Year Performance Update 
Denton ISD Associate Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Staff Development Dr. Mike Mattingly, Director of Secondary Curriculum Dr. Lisa Thibodeaux, Director of Early Childhood Cecilia Holt and Director of Elementary Curriculum and Instruction Sandy Brown presented the mid-year student progress report, showing student progress as it relates toward attaining grade level proficiency. 

Discussion of 2023-2024 Open and Closed Campuses
Denton ISD Director of District and Student Support Services Lesli Guajardo presented a summary of Denton ISD’s functional capacity and projected enrollment for 2023-2024. Additionally, this report also identified which current campuses are open or closed to intra-district and inter-district transfers. 

Based on the projected numbers, the following elementary schools will be open to transfers:

• Braswell Zone: Bell and Paloma Creek Elementary
• Denton Zone: Alexander, Borman, Houston, Newton Rayzor and W.S. Ryan Elementary
• Guyer Zone: Adkins, Blanton, E.P. Rayzor, McNair and Nelson Elementary
• Ryan Zone: Ginnings and Stephens Elementary

The following middle schools will be open to transfers:

• Braswell Zone: Cheek, Navo and Rodriguez Middle School
• Denton Zone: Calhoun and McMath Middle School
• Guyer Zone: Crownover and Harpool Middle School
• Ryan Zone: Myers Middle School

At the high school level, Denton High School will be open to transfers. 

Report Items

Quarterly Growth Report – 4th Qtr 2022
Rocky Gardner from Zonda Demographics presented a summary concerning the Dallas/Fort Worth housing market, economic indicators, Denton ISD’s residential activity and enrollment projections as of the 4th Quarter of 2022 as it relates to the overall growth of Denton ISD. 

Mr. Gardner noted Denton ISD was second home closings in 2022 Q4 in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. Denton ISD also had an increase in new home starts in 2022 Q4. The district has 66 actively building subdivisions with 4,000 lots available to build on. Denton ISD is forecasted to enroll more than 36,600 by 2027-208 and 42,400 by 2032-2033. 

Construction Report
Denton ISD Executive Director of Construction, Planning and Growth Brandon Boyter presented information concerning construction projects as to scheduling, progress and funding. The construction program will meet the demand to construct high-quality facilities for students and staff with critical oversight and fiscal responsibility. 

Mr. Boyter also shared the progress of Newton Rayzon Elementary, Calhoun Middle School and Cheek Middle School. 

Intruder Detection Audit Report Update 
Denton ISD Superintendent Dr. Jamie Wilson presented a report to provide an update to the recent Intruder Detection Audits conducted by the Texas School Safety Center. Further detail was provided to the board in executive session for the purpose of safety and security. 

Presentations and Recognitions

Denton ISD’s Board of School Trustees recognized several groups and individuals at Tuesday night’s meeting, including three Denton ISD counseling staffs who received the Texas School Counselor Association’s (TSCA) CREST Award. The award is given annually to the top counseling staffs in the state.

Counseling staffs at McNair Elementary, Sam Houston Elementary and Rodriguez Middle School received the prestigious honor – marking the 12^th consecutive year that at least one Denton ISD campus has received a CREST Award.

The Rodriguez Middle School counseling staff consists of Lead Counselor Stephani Mohon and Impact Counselor Michael Rooney. McNair Elementary’s counseling staff consists of Counselor Deanne Harrup, and Sam Houston Elementary’s counseling staff consists of Counselor Lacy Fraser.

Additionally, trustees also recognized Amy Lawrence, Denton ISD’s Director of Counseling Services. Mrs. Lawrence was a recipient of The Council of Women School Executives (TCWSE) Bravo Award, which is given annually to exemplary practitioners, innovative programs and initiatives that promote community and parent involvement.

Lastly, trustees recognized Marin Woodard, a second-year teacher at Ginnings Elementary as part of the board spotlight. Ms. Woodard strives every day to make math and science exciting for her fourth grade students, and her innovative teaching style engages students by “planting seeds” for each of them to explore opportunities and careers in the STEM field. 

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Workshop Items

Discussion of Legislative updates for 88th Legislative Session
Trustees discussed the Board’s goals for the 88th Legislative Session, which include teaching and learning, culture and climate, growth and management, and opportunities for students. The district’s goals specifically are to develop and maintain a culture where learning remains our first priority, honor the dedication and professionalism of all staff, recruit, employ and retain high quality teachers, and support college, career, military and life readiness. Currently, of the 2,739 bills that have been filed, 421 of those are related to public education. 

Discussion of Employee Health and Wellness Clinic
Chris Bomberger, Executive Director of Child Nutrition and Benefits, presented and gave the Board an update on a district wellness clinic aimed at promoting physical wellness, mental health and social-emotional well-being to Denton ISD employees, spouses, and their dependent children.

Mr. Bomberger explained that in a survey to district employees, of the 743 participants, 74% indicated they utilized one of the district’s insurance plans. Additionally, a majority of responses indicated that their greatest obstacle in going to an urgent care clinic or primary care physician was cost or lack of time.

“Time is something we never get back,” Mr. Bomberger said. “For our teachers and instructors, this was the most heavily responded piece [to the survey].

This topic of a clinic is very crucial for our employees.”

The clinic, which would be operated Monday-Friday, would offer urgent care, primary care including chronic disease management, health improvement/wellness services and occupational health services. The clinic would be free for those with a PPO plan and $30 for everyone else.

Trustees later approved the clinic under the new business portion of the meeting. 

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Report Items

Discussion of 2022-2023 calendar modification due to inclement weather
Due to the inclement weather that forced the district to be closed Jan. 31 through Feb. 3, Denton ISD presented a calendar modification to ensure students maintain continuity of learning.

The district adjusted Feb. 20 from being a staff and student holiday to a bad weather make-up day to comply with TEA expectations regarding make-up days. This will now be a full instructional day.

“Our options [for make-up days] were Feb. 20, take a day during Spring Break or come back after Memorial Day,” Denton ISD Superintendent Dr. Jamie Wilson said. “We went ahead and made an announcement as early as we could to let families know this is the best option. In preparation for this decision, we visited with several teachers around the district. They said we know we don’t like it, but we prefer this, and we need to capture some instructional time. We’re blessed to have two days to turn into instructional days before Memorial Day.”

The district will also utilize April 7 as a bad weather day, which will now be a full instructional day. The district proposed to modify the half day on March 22 to a full school day, modify the half day on April 19 to a full school day, and modify the half day on May 17 to a full school day to ensure compliance with minimum instructional minutes.

“The proposed calendar has two primary goals,” Denton ISD Area Superintendent Charlene Parham said. “The first goal is for the continuity of learning for our children. Two is to remain eligible for state waivers. We have to have two bad weather make-up days in our calendar in order to remain eligible for state waiver days.”

While eligibility for state waivers is important, Dr. Wilson added that instruction is the most vital piece of the calendar modification.

“You can waive the days, but you can’t waive the learning,” Dr. Wilson said. 

Public Hearing

Review of TAPR
Dr. Mike Mattingly, Associate Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction conducted the Public Hearing on the Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR). Dr. Mattingly explained the annual dropout rate has remained constant over the past three years dating back to 2019. For the school year 2020-21, Denton ISD had 2,096 graduates.

Additionally, for the 2020-2021 school year, Denton ISD saw an increase in dual-credit courses, industry-based certification and special ed with advanced degree plan. Dr. Mattingly said Denton ISD is making gains in reading, and the district is closing the gap in STAAR testing for math. While Denton ISD is making progress, Dr. Mattingly emphasized the STAAR test is changing next year, with new types of questions, more non-multiple choice questions and constructed response questions. Dr. Mattingly said math is the district's primary focus for improvement. The district also experienced improvement in 15 of 20 STAAR tests for economically disadvantaged students. 

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Workshop Items

Citizens Advisory Committee Bond Presentation
Members of the Citizens' Advisory Committee (CAC) presented to the board of trustees the results from the four-month-long CAC meetings. Heidi Sandmann, a junior at Ryan High School, Kloe Kloiber, a junior at LaGrone Academy, and community members Andrew Morris and Aimee Jones also presented to the district, officially recommending a bond referendum of $1,423,755,381. 

"You really represent through this bond approval process the future of Denton ISD,” Trustee Dr. Jim Alexander said, thanking the Citizens Advisory Committee for their work. “What you have been doing is thinking ahead and engaging in a futuristic activity to help us prepare for Denton ISD in 2028, 2029 and 2030. It is those children who will be here those years that will benefit from this process. This is an absolutely critical process for our district. I am so grateful to each of you for serving. I am very pleased with the quality of product, and I look forward to moving forward with the authorization and building these things that are necessary for Denton ISD in 2028 and 2029.”

Election Day is May 6. Early voting is April 24-May 2. 

Discussion of Denton ISD Wellness Clinic
Chris Bomberger, executive director of child nutrition and benefits, presented the Board with a district wellness clinic aimed at promoting physical wellness, mental health and social-emotional well-being to Denton ISD employees, spouses, and their dependent children.

Mr. Bomberger explained the district met with multiple vendors, and eventually,  presented potentially partnering with Concentra to provide the wellness clinic. Concentra has nearly 520 medical centers and over 155 onsite clinics nationwide. 

More information will be available at a future meeting.

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Report Items

3rd Quarter Attendance Report
Dr. Lesli Guajardo, director of student services, provided the board with an update on attendance for the 3rd reporting period.

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New Business

The Board unanimously approved the consent agenda. In doing so, approved the hire of Rachel Hix as the new principal at Rivera Elementary School. Principal Marvyn White left mid-year to accept a similar position in a neighboring district.

Order of Trustee Election
Trustees approved the call of the Trustee Election. An election is hereby ordered to be held on Saturday, May 6, 2023 for the purpose of electing to the Board of Trustees two trustees for a full three-(3) year term for each position designated as Place 6 and Place 7.

Applications for a place on the ballot shall be filed by February 17, 2023, at 5 p.m. Early voting by personal appearance will be conducted between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday, April 24 through Saturday, April 29. Early voting by personal appearance will also be conducted between the hours of 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 30 and between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday, May 1 and Tuesday, May 2.

Denton ISD Board of Trustees Vote to Call Bond Election
The Denton Independent School District Board of School Trustees unanimously approved the recommendation of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee to call a capital improvement plan to address growth, safety and security and equity across the district. If approved by voters, the referendum would generate the necessary $1.4 billion to address district needs and not change the district’s current $0.48 debt service tax rate.

Denton ISD residents will have the opportunity to vote on the bond referendum during Early Voting, April 24 through May 2, and on Election Day, Saturday, May 6. Read the full story and what all is proposed in the bond package on the district website. Read more about 

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Other Items of Note

Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) Rockin’ Readers

LaGrone Academy - Auto Tech Students

Board Appreciation Month

Workshop Items

Discussion of Denton Central Appraisal District Vision
Don Spencer,  interim chief appraiser of the Denton County Appraisal District (DCAD), outlined the budget request for the current year. Established in 1982, Denton Central Appraisal District is a political subdivision of the State of Texas for the purpose of discovering and appraising property for ad valorem tax purposes for each local taxing unit within the boundaries of the district. It is not affiliated with Denton County or the Denton County Tax Office.

DCAD is responsible for appraising real property and assessing taxes on behalf of multiple organizations in Denton County. Their 2023 Budget includes the request for additional staff to process new home values and homestead exemptions.

The DCAD request to increase its budget for more appraisers would give each appraiser less parcels to appraise and decreases the chance for errors as well as less protests per appraiser. Having more Appraisal Review Board members will provide less wait time for taxpayers and a timely certification. DCAD is budgeting for 17 new residential appraisers and customer service specialists which helps increase capacity and productivity. DCAD will also leverage technology to offset personnel cost.

“When we do our growth reports and there's a column that shows vacant developed lots and it’s about 27,000 lots, if that’s Hunter or Cole Ranch then those lots used to be two homeowners or two land owners that turns into 27,000 when those developments come online” said Dr. Jamie Wilson. “The growth of our community, people moving into our community changes hundred acre sites, two-hundred acre sites, thousand acre sites into four-thousand individual vacant developed lots that individual owners own meaning this is a massive undertaking that I don’t know that everyone truly connects the growth in residential properties and where we have been in the last fifteen years in the eastern section of our district. There is a connection to all of that and things we’re looking at all the time here in our district.”

Discussion of Elementary School Planning with Pfluger Architects
Susannah O’Bara, Asst. Superintendent, Terry Hoyle, CEO Pfluger and Casey Myra, Pfluger Architect presented the next generation of elementary school design process. Pfluger along with staff from Curriculum and Instruction, Academic Programs and Principals worked on what they felt the future of education should look and feel like. Some of the guiding principles were:

• • 1. Create active, flexible, inclusive learning experiences and make learning fun.
  • 2. Provide open spaces so that learning is visible everywhere but limit disruption to others.
  • 3. Integrate environmental safety levels into the design.
  • 4. Ensure that equitable resources are provided to all students and staff.
  • 5. Aesthetics should be geared toward the specific needs /wants /wishes of the community.
  • 6. Provide opportunities for students to facilitate their own learning and allow them to have their own choices.

The design concept would be having a central ‘hub” to include dinning, outdoor learning and media center with classrooms on the outside edges and the specialty classes such as science, maker space, music and art would be sprinkled with the hub area. The new design would be a 2-story building to lessen the exterior entry points into the building. 

Discussion of Attendance Boundary Modifications - Cheek Middle School
Dr. Jeff Russell, Area Superintendent provided the Board of Trustees with an overview of the proposed attendance boundary modifications Rodriguez Middle School and Navo Middle School which will also establish the boundary modification for the new Cheek Middle School to open for the 2023-2024 school year. During recent attendance boundary discussions, the District explored the impact of future developments on the enrollment at Cheek Middle School. These future developments would have a significant impact to enrollment capacity at Rodriguez Middle

School and Navo Middle School and making these boundary adjustments now would provide the greatest campus size efficiency for a longer period of time for all three middle schools.

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Report Items

2022-2023 Attendance Report - Period 1
Tony Volner, senior architect EIS, provided the Board with an update on the Average Daily Attendance  summary report for reporting period one. The purpose of this report is to provide the Board of Trustees with a summary of Denton ISD’s ADA and Reporting period 1 update, for the 2022–2023 school year and to compare this data to previous years. The objective is to closely monitor the ADA and overall attendance at each Denton ISD campus and to provide support and resources where needed.

2022-2023 Medical Benefits Transition Update
Chris Bomberger, executive director of child nutrition and benefits, provided the Board with an update on employee benefits since the district moved away from TRS Active-Care. The presentation included an overview of employee participation that occurred during open enrollment for 2022- 2023 benefits and provide a timeline for the 2023-2024 plan year.

Denton ISD has 5,066 eligible employees selecting medical and non-medical plan options.

Intruder Detection Audit Report Update
Dr. Jamie Wilson Jeff Russell provided the Board with an update on the intruder detection audit report by the state. Every district has to be covered by Christmas and every campus in the state needs to be covered by May. The Texas School Safety Center conducted Intruder Detection Audits pursuant to updated legal requirements. Six Denton ISD schools were reviewed. Corrective actions, if any, have been completed at this time. Further detail has been provided to the Board in executive session for the purposes of safety and security.

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Other Items of Note

AP and National Merit Scholars at Braswell HS, Denton HS and Ryan HS 

Community Spotlight: LovePacs

Workshop Items

Discussion of Elementary and Secondary Campus Improvement Plans for 2022-2023
Principals from across the district shared their Campus Improvement Plan (CIP) which is based on the guiding principles and goals set by the Board of School Trustees. The Board’s Goals are publicly available here https://www.dentonisd.org/Page/100377

Each campus has a Campus Leadership Team that completes a campus comprehensive needs assessment. The purpose of this meeting was  to share each Campus Improvement Plan with the board to show how our goals and action steps are aligned to board goals, district goals, and campus goals.

The plans are a working, living document that provide each camp a pathway for student success. This report will show each campus goal (s), action steps to reach that goal, any financial implications, persons responsible, and a timeline for achieving the goal. The CIP’s highlight the great work our district is doing to support student achievement, student engagement, and social/emotional learning.

Denton ISD split its 43 campuses into four vertical zones for the 2022-2023 school year. These zones include:

Vertical Zone I: Braswell High, Navo, Rodriguez, Sparks, Davis School, Bell, Cross Oaks, Paloma Creek, Providence,  Savannah, Sandbrock Ranch and Union Park
Vertical Zone II: Denton High, Calhoun, McMath, Borman, Evers Park, Houston, Lee, Newton Rayzor, W.S. Ryan, Gonzalez  and Windle
Vertical Zone III: Guyer High, Crownover, Harpool, K-8 Virtual Academy, Blanton, E.P. Rayzor, Hawk, McNair, Nelson and Adkins
Vertical Zone IV: Ryan High,The LaGrone Academy, Fred Moore High, Strickland, Myers, Ginnings, Hodge, Pecan Creek, Rivera, Stephens and Wilson

“When discussing the guided outcomes of reading on grade level by the 3rd grade, progress monitoring is critical and something that we are systematically doing across all campuses in Denton ISD,” said Robin Brownell, Hawk Elementary principal. “It is grounded in our professional learning communities (PLC) that collaboration and communication that we have in our PLCs is how we’re able to successfully monitor the progress of students.”

"As a district, our elementary campuses are being very intentional in how we approach intervention for our students,” said Marvyn White, Rivera Elementary principal. “First, let us thank you for our calendars. Our teachers have been so grateful to be able to have those days to plan and collaborate with their teams. Each of our campuses has utilized these days to analyze student assessment data, look at the progress monitoring, common formative assessments, and our MTSS systems to implement tutorials and intervention plans into our daily schedules.”

“Our eighth-grade teachers know that not only is their job to work really hard at getting our eighth grade students on-level in the eighth grade but also looking at what deficits do they have that are going to be a hindrance to them in algebra one,” Colleen Grindle, Harpool Middle School principal.

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Other Items of Note

Huffines Subaru as this month’s Community Spotlight

Drake Lawson, Harpool MS teacher is this month’s Board Spotlight as the 2022 NOVA Winner