Public Forum Transcripts & Responses

 Acela Spiegelberg

Thank you.  So, I'm here to discuss zoning again.  I don't think I was clear the last time I was up here. I spoke about my community and I meant my community at large.  There are a couple of families that I don't believe have had an opportunity to reach out to you yet, but they are falling into the situation where they're being zoned away from JRE.  I'm hoping that if some families do reach out to you - I know of at least five that would like to stay at JRE and are willing to provide their own transportation to go.  I know one of them works with our PTA and would like to continue working with our PTA.

I know a couple of others might want to be able to stay with their speech therapist or whatever -  you know - whatever it is that they have, and they're just afraid that so much - just change within such a short amount of time will be very difficult. So, I'm hoping that if families do come to you and ask for a change that you would be willing to look into that, otherwise, that's it.  Thank you.

District Response:

Notification of the recommended zoning adjustment was sent to all JRE-zoned families on February 13, 2025, with the opportunity to provide feedback to the district. The district reviewed all feedback received by parents during that window. Board Policy FDB(LOCAL) outlines the district’s policy on Intra-district Transfers. Any parent who wants to be considered for an intra-district transfer must qualify under that policy. Speech programs are offered at all AISD campuses. 

 

Acela Spiegelberg

Good afternoon.  So, I’m here mostly to speak about the zoning. As you know, I am in that northern part of Harvest that was rezoned last year and I came before you guys to discuss how zoning was going to disrupt that neighborhood and we are looking at rezoning again.  So, this time, I am hoping that for people that live in that area above Old Justin and east of Cleveland Gibbs, that you consider allowing them to grandfather.  You give them a short period of time to confirm, but that you allow them to grandfather to reduce the amount of disruption that we have.  Right now, we are trying to build up our PTA - that requires people to have been on a board before.  If you want to be president, our president would be someone who would be greatly affected by this. I could possibly be affected by this as well. I think it’s just very important to keep the children and the families in mind and to give them more of a choice.

So, I would really appreciate it if you take that in mind, no matter how the lines are drawn.  

With regards to the reason that I was here last time - I do want to thank you guys – Rick Herrin was able to get me those documents within the 10 days. I haven’t had a chance to fully go through all of them, but I will reach out to you guys individually with any questions that I have. So, thank you.

District Response:

Part A: 

Mrs. Speigelberg’s public comment addressed an information-only item on the agenda for the meeting held on February 12, 2025. The district must take into consideration all students and families when working through zoning decisions. During the initial zoning process, Old Justin Road was established as the natural dividing line between the two elementary school zones, except for the far western section of the district south of Old Justin Road. Due to higher-than-anticipated enrollment at JRE, a boundary adjustment was necessary to uphold this natural division while accommodating future growth at JRE. This adjustment shifts some students to West Elementary, balancing enrollment by increasing its student population while reducing JRE’s. However, this change does not create additional capacity for other areas of the Harvest community to be rezoned to West Elementary.

Additionally, the district has engaged in ongoing collaboration with some Belmont representatives for several months to address traffic concerns. Through these discussions, we believe that maintaining Old Justin Road as the dividing line allows resources to be concentrated on improving the Cleveland Gibbs and 17th Street intersection. This approach also ensures that JRE families are not required to cross two major streets within the neighborhood, enhancing safety and accessibility.

Part B: 

This portion of the comment was not in relation to any agenda topic on the special meeting agenda. The process for Public Information Requests can be found at this website link.  Regarding response time, upon receiving a request, the district will provide an initial response within 10 business days during our operational hours, excluding weekends and holidays prescribed by Texas law (See PIA Calendar for applicable business days) Should there be a reason for clarification in the original response time, the 10-day timeline starts over.  

Jane Krzysiak

Hello.  Good evening.  Good to see everybody.  I’m here just – I believe tonight is the special session when you’re going to be when you’re going to be looking at and taking on the vote and discussion about calling a bond in May and I’m here just to support that and hopeful that you do that and that the community rallies together to support it because we - most certainly need it.  Just a couple of points that I wanted to say - I know that just different folks I’ve talked to over the past year - but even just somewhat recently, the idea of putting forth a big bond, where there is planning forward for land is so critical instead of these sort of one-offs that we’ve been doing through time because that’s what - if you’ve lived in the district for a while as I have, that’s what’s really gotten us behind the eight ball.  We just have not had the land. We haven’t had the ability to plan ahead and have a spot, if you will, so just encouraging that and thinking ahead about just different schools that we might need and, you know, that might fluctuate a little bit -that could change a little bit, I guess to a degree -just depending how quickly things grow but hopefully, if the economy kind of picks up and continues on – I mean North Texas seems to have no shortage of folks coming here in the DFW area, so I don’t think we’re in too a big of a situation where we would be hurt. I do believe, my understanding is that even if the bond is passed that we don’t build until like we have the capacity in the homes or the rooftops are there and all of that - so it’s not as though we would be throwing away money so to speak, that we don’t need to use.  So, if suddenly everything came to a screeching halt, that wouldn’t be the case.  So, I would encourage people - I think some people don’t understand that, maybe in the community and they’re a little worried about it,  so I would definitely encourage you guys and as we communicate that to talk about that point.  One final thing I would like to talk about – and I’ve talked about this before – is facility capacity. I’ve got a fun spreadsheet that I didn’t have time to send to you guys before but I will be sending it in your inboxes so – get excited!  Mr. Herrin was helpful actually providing me with some information – just kind of looking at all the campuses that we have here in the district and how they’ve been used since 2012 and I’ve been here since actually before that – so kinda how they were used how many students were in those buildings and it’s really interesting to look at it that way and certainly through time as well.  We have had our facility capacity-building capacity numbers have changed.  You know Dr. Wright, formally and the team she employed to do that – looked at it one way, and then we’ve looked at it a new way the last couple of years – which actually raised our numbers.  So for example, some might not know, but just to give an example, the Canyon Falls campus which is the current High School 9 through 12 – the current building capacity that we’re saying is 2100  - in the past, we said it was 1750 – so, kind of a big leap.  As far as who’s in that building presently, I can tell you that according to October of 2024 it was 1644 kids, so there’s been a lot.  Just one other thing - Middle School, same example - the building capacity what we’re saying it’s at now is 1350, but in the past, past administration said it was 1100. That building right now at 377 has 969 kids and the High School here is Canyon Falls 1644. I will say because it was interesting to me - my own children – my oldest was in the 377 building as a 7 through 12 campus which, by the way, we loved. It was great. I was nervous about it at first, but it’s actually a great thing for many reasons, I think for most.  But that building at the highest capacity in the fall of 2015 before we were able to open the Canyon Falls as a Middle School when it was housing 7 through 12 was 1126.  So, I think at one point some people were thinking it was around 1300 -  but we’ve never had that many kids there.  It was 1126.  So, as a person who serves in those buildings a lot - and has teachers that I know and the administration in those buildings that I work with, just my students when they’ve been there,  those buildings are crowded and I know we have some open rooms at the High School and that’s great – classrooms - love it, but that doesn’t mean that the common areas are good and just today I was hearing about how the High School cafeteria - I mean it’s very hard- It’s tough. You can’t get all those kids in there and there’s, I mean we’re looking at some ways to try to spread people out, but I don’t know about you guys, maybe you haven’t had a family of six that’s tried to stay in one hotel room. It’s not for the weak of mind or heart - so you know that’s me.  So, let’s not try to crowd everybody in just because they’re not widgets, they’re people. The teachers have to work there. The students have to go to school there. It’s an environmental situation. Where is the environment - like does it feel stressful? It doesn’t feel like a mini college campus and I’m just busting it across as fast as I can to get there.  So, I think that matters and I would just say let’s look ahead.  Let’s go big - Let’s get the passed and let’s look for third Middle School and High School. Thank you.

District Response:

Mrs. Krzysiak’s public comment addressed an action item on the agenda for the meeting held on February 12, 2025. The board voted 7-0 to call a bond election for May 2025 as presented and recommended by the community committee. 

Ritchie Deffenbaugh

I’m here with empathy for you all.  I know what you’re going through and I will start off with kind of what I would suggest knowing that you need to get this bond approved for vote by tomorrow – or the 14th. I would just ask that you do that in a manner of approving “up to” the language being “up to” this amount,  “up to” that amount which gives you the opportunity to kind of really drill down and kind of understand the numbers behind the numbers, and whether or not you as a board are elected officials who are held accountable agree with one, not only the specific line items and how they relate up to strategic direction, but secondarily, the amount.  Now I think you know we’re looking at $420 million right now, and I saw from the last meeting that the inflation rate is 5% compounded monthly.  6%? 6%compounded monthly? 5% compounded monthly, which is down from 7 1/2 – but you know the eighth wonder of the world is compounded interest. Right?  And, so this is compounded monthly.  These are the projections, it’s compounded monthly at 5% and the current inflation rate is 3% as of January, and that’s been dropping down as forecast to drop down. So, what we’re saying is - these numbers might be accurate for today’s dollars, but I don’t think they’re accurate for tomorrow’s dollars. And by not looking at that assumption clearly – all you’re doing is making a big number scarier for people to vote on.  Ultimately, we need this to be voted on, right? And so, I think if you can look at that and look at just changing that assumption to 2.5% more realistic compounded monthly which is- nothing operates that way – but compounded monthly I think then you could probably save 50 million bucks.  Who knows.  But that’s a more manageable number.  So that, and then also looking at some of the line items like - we need land, but the number associated right now is pretty grossly exaggerated.  Can we look at that number and see net-net through all of the options as a board?  Discuss them, see what you’re willing to stand behind and support because you have to drive this – and see where those numbers land up and then that’s the number the bond is already going to get voted on, but that the number might change from 420 to 360 and that is more easily defendable. That’s my point.  Just trying to – for your behalf – because the sausage is made in that committee is formed and they are given numbers and everything else and the needs of the district and the board isn’t even part of that.  They’re not even allowed to go to the meetings.  But, what is given to them is a sum up of - here’s what we need, and then they’re expected just to agree to it.  My point is, at least look at some of the line items, and have some accountability, and I would think that the community would appreciate that.  That’s it.  Thank you all for all you do.  

District Response:

The bond project projections were escalated using industry-based experts using the following method: 0.5% compounded monthly between the estimated date and the proposed bid date. If projects are bid later or sooner, that could impact the actual. This is consistent with the majority of school districts, as a bond committee member confirmed during our process. This bond committee used industry experts to review the actual costs of our most recent elementary school and middle school to anticipate and escalate the costs for these projects in the new bond. For comparison, two additional ISDs recently used 0.65% compounded monthly. Another fast-growth ISD is using closer to 1% compounded monthly in their recent bond. 

Using less concerns the district due to the unanticipated record inflation during the Bond 2022 process between when projects were approved vs when they actually went to bid. Record inflation over the past 2-3 years greatly impacted the Bond 2022 projects and their original projections. 

Erin Reed

Good evening.  Thank you for allowing me to speak today.  While I was not part of the bond committee I have been following it as closely as I could and as a longtime member of this District, I've seen firsthand the challenges that come with the rapid growth.  Years ago I even had children in the portables when Hilltop had portable buildings brought in because there were too many kids for that campus.  And, I can tell you from experience that is not ideal.  It is not an ideal situation.  Our children deserve a safe, permanent, well-equipped learning environment at every school.  So, I like this Bond because it strikes the right balance of immediate needs with the long-term planning that we need.  We need to stop being reactive and start being proactive in all of this because, as you know, the growth isn't just coming - it's already here.  Like Ritchie said,  finding affordable land that's suitable for schools has been an uphill battle.  As you know, land is scarce and prices are only going to rise.  So, if we don't secure property now I think we'll probably end up paying significantly more in the future. So, this bond isn't about just meeting the imediate needs but also about making smart financial decisions that will save our district money in the long run.  And, let's be clear, I mean if the bonds aren't needed, they don't have to be spent, like Jane said.  Right? But if we fail to prepare for the inevitable, then we'll find ourselves without the funding for the land and we'll have failed our students and our community.  So, I think waiting is going to cost us both financially and in terms of the student environment.  So, passing this Bond now is a win-win and to do otherwise, in my opinion, would be fiscally irresponsible.  I spend personally three to four full days a week either in Middle School or High School. I love it, but I also see the overcrowding firsthand and I think - I know you guys do the walkthroughs - but I don't think a lot of people in the community understand just what that feels like to be in there between passing periods and in the common areas during lunch.  Today and tomorrow - the kids lost Mega lunch, which means they have to (because they didn't keep their areas clean and they got three strikes), which is surprising because if you're in there - you see that they really hold each other accountable for cleaning up their stuff.  It's really sweet to see, but so that means that now they have a 30-minute window for lunch.  And they are one-third of the school.  There's an A, B, and C lunch, so one-third of the school is in the cafeteria at a time, and that cafeteria has a capacity of about 400 from what I understand.  That's at capacity.  As you know, most areas aren't comfortable at capacity. So, if you're trying to put one-third of the school in a space that holds one-fourth of the school, it's difficult, to say the least… Comfortable not at all. So, you still have an overflow of kids having no place to eat lunch because now you can't go to the classrooms.  You can't sit in the hallways because Mega lunch is closed.  So, it really is a difficult situation and that's where we're at today.  The hallways are packed.  Making transitions is difficult,  and it takes every second of those five minutes to get from one class to the other.  There are bottlenecks in the hallways where the doors go - and you go from a hallway that's wide enough to have four or five kids to two kids and so just like any traffic situation it backs up and you've got to wait for those kids and their big backpacks to go through.  It really is not ideal.  It does make it stressful for kids to get where they need to be on time and there is quite a bit of running in those last 10 to 20 seconds.  Anyway, with the growth we know is coming these issues will only worsen, so a strong bond should address both the immediate needs and the long-term needs and I think this Bond does exactly that. So I urge you to present this bond to the voters in May.  Let's make a responsible choice for our students, our schools, and our community’s future.  Thank you.

District Response:

Mrs. Reed’s comments addressed an action item that was on the agenda. The board voted 7-0 to call a bond election in May 2025 as presented and recommended by the community committee. Additionally, bond authorization (passing of a bond) doesn’t mean the district takes on the debt right away. The district sells and issues bonds as student growth increases and taxable values increase, creating bonding capacity.
 

BRYANT GARCIN

Good evening Dr. Carpenter and Board of Trustee.  I am Bryan Garson. I live here in Canyon Falls and I’ll be talking tonight about Middle School zoning.  As a native of Denton County,  I have seen the area change dramatically over the years with small rural towns becoming suburban towns and school classifications changing from 2-A to 4-A and 5-A.  But with growth comes numerous challenges, including new schools and school zoning.  My wife and I chose the Canyon Falls neighborhood as there’s both an elementary school and a high school in the neighborhood and currently the schools are located in the west zone of the school district.  At the board of trustees meeting in December, there were numerous individuals from the far northern part of Argyle ISD within the city of Denton that spoke about being zoned to the high school in Canyon Falls and not to the proposed High School at 377, because they would have to drive past the 377 High School to get to the Canyon Falls High School.  An official press release a few days after the December board of trustees meeting indicated the land of Furst Ranch, right across in Canyon Falls - right over there, will be the location of a Middle School and Elementary School, if the voters approved a possible bond that would provide that funding.  It is my understanding and according the district documents that the Furst Ranch schools will be in the east zone and we’re feeding into the High School on 377.  If that is true, then the students that live in the northern most part of Argyle ISD would have to drive all the way down to the southern part of Argyle ISD to the Furst  Ranch Middle School - bypassing the Sixth Grade Center on Crawford Road and the Middle School on 407. Additionally, students that live in Canyon Falls would not go to the Middle School on Furst Ranch, which is right across 377 from the neighborhood.  Some students in Canyon Falls could even see the Fust Ranch Middle School from their house but would have to go to the Middle School on 407 and the Sixth Grade Center. This makes no sense. The school district is going to have school buses, transporting students from the southern part of the school district to the schools in the northern part of the school district while also running buses from the northern part of the school district to the schools in the Southern part of the school district - bypassing each other on 377 or I 35. Also, I was curious about the commute difference if my son could go to the Middle School on Furst Ranch versus the Sixth Grade Center and the 407 Middle School, so I ran the numbers.  If my wife and/or I would drop off her son at the Middle School on Furst Ranch it would take less than five minutes for an approximate 1.6 mile drive.  Over a school year our son would commute about 576 miles round-trip to the Furst Ranch Middle School.  If the school district zone stayed current and if he doesn’t have to ride a bus, his commute time with triple to the Sixth Grade Center going approximately 5.5 miles each way while doubling the commute time to the 407 Middle School going approximately 5 miles each way.  Over a school year he would commute 1980 miles to the Sixth Grade Center and 1800 miles to the 407 Middle School.  During his sixth, seventh and eighth grade years, he would commute an approximate 1728 miles to the Furst Ranch Middle School - but with an approximate total of 5580 miles to the Sixth Grade Center and 407 Middle School.   His commute miles would be over three times longer if he has to go to the Sixth Grade Center, and the 407 Middle School versus going to the Furst Ranch Middle School.  In fact,  he would spend more Miles and time on the road commuting to school in one year to the Sixth Grade Center or the 407 Middle School then his entire three years going to the Furst Ranch Middle School.  I can only imagine how long the commute time in miles would be if he had to ride a bus, not to mention the additional school traffic the district based on the current Middle School zoning.  Thank you for your time and I plan to stay until the end of the meeting at the board of trustees to discuss this matter more.  Thank you.

DISTRICT RESPONSE:

Argyle ISD Zoning Update

At the November 18, 2024, Board of Trustees meeting, the district presented a recommendation for middle and high school zoning changes. Following the meeting, a two-week window was provided for parent and community feedback. Approximately 150 responses were received, reviewed individually, and summarized into themes for consideration with the district demographer, including suggestions for North/South boundary lines instead of East/West. The Board of Trustees also reviewed all responses.

During the December board meeting, the zoning recommendation was discussed publicly. After further review, the Board of Trustees approved the recommendation with an amendment. The new zoning changes will take effect as follows:

• Middle Schools: Fall 2026
• High Schools: Fall 2027

A finalized zoning map is available on the district website. For full details, visit Soaring Together: 2026 & Beyond.

Planning for Growth

The Argyle ISD school board and administration are committed to making decisions that prioritize all students, working within the constraints of current facilities and locations. While boundary lines may not align perfectly for every family, these decisions are made with long-term growth and resource availability in mind.

In Fall 2026, Argyle ISD will transition to two middle schools:

• New FM 407 Campus
• Existing 377 Campus

Although the district has purchased an additional middle school site within the Furst Ranch development, no decision has been made to transition Middle School #2 to that location. The district will continue exploring additional middle school sites to accommodate future growth.

ZACH WILLHITE

My name is Zach Willhite. I live in Harvest and our oldest two go to JRE, assuming the zoning stays the same - our youngest will go there as well next Fall. Sidenote - my son got the Sixth Grade Center, and then he’ll be at the new Middle School so we’ll be at four schools in four years.  So, I want to follow up a little bit slightly on a public statement that I’ve made last time. I was here last school board meeting, but actually I changed a little bit when I heard what you were talking about today and then also read some of the board packet or what I got -public information packet, which I greatly appreciate so much, that was shared beforehand. But one of those is a way to budgeting. So, I’ve noticed that – I’ve noticed this throughout the years that I get -understand why, is that the budgeted amount was based on the demographer’s report which I brought up last time- and I appreciate someone putting up the header on the report this time- that it’s about 400 and I don’t know the exact number of 405 students more than what was in the budget as what’s there now. So just doing some kind of back of a napkin math that would mean roughly, if it’s pure cash and you just look at the state allotment, the amount per student, you’re gonna end up with about a net positive about $1 million - Too low now -you’ll be about $1 million over the top of the budget. I don’t know, somebody said that’s pre-spent, but I just wanted to mention and ask the board to consider designating any of those extra funds over zero toward teachers and towards supporting those teachers and specifically I would ask that the board consider looking at it at where those additional students are at and potentially looking at allocating a larger amount to where the larger influx is at for any over the top of that.  So that’s all I have for today. Just wanna say thank you. Thank you all for your time and appreciate it. Appreciate all you do.

DISTRICT RESPONSE: 

The demographer’s 2024-25 enrollment projection for AISD was 5,805 students for the fall. The actual enrollment at the end of October was 6,111. The funding formula for public schools in Texas does not fund on student enrollment, rather Average Daily Attendance (ADA). ADA is figured as Total Daily Attendance divided by the number of Instructional Days. The district has been aware of this enrollment increase and the increased ADA accounts for the updated revenue estimate. As discussed during the January 2025 board meeting, the district has been working with the Teacher Advisory Committee over the past few months collecting feedback on support needs recommended by our teachers. The district has made plans to offset the budget deficit of $1.29M and put the additional revenue back into supporting teachers and staff. You may view the agenda item at this link. 

Funding is based on student attendance (ADA) and not on snapshot date.  Each of the six 6-week periods is included in the funding formula.  AISD reviews every six weeks to see where we are trending compared to our estimates. Historically if a budget amendment is needed, district administration brings it to the Board after the first semester data has been reviewed and again in the summer if needed.  Districts receive funding from TEA on a preset payment schedule.  As data is submitted to TEA through statewide submissions, TEA adjusts the payment schedule for each district and eventually, as final data is reviewed, there is a settleup process.  

A budget amendment will be brought to the February 2025 board meeting that increases revenue estimates by approximately $2.5M.  

The 8-year trend on the demographer’s spring projections vs actual fall snapshot is detailed below. 
Demographer Spring Reports vs Fall Snapshot Data

 

ACELA SPIEGELBERG

Thank you. I was actually unaware that gentleman before me had actually spoken about what I’m gonna speak about today, but I think mine is a little bit off from that.  So, last year when you guys were doing all the budget discussions, I had actually come up here and talked about my concerns regarding cutting campus budgets by 10% while also increase  - while also adding the copying cost to each campus, especially at the elementary school level where they tend to make more copies because the kids can’t be on Chromebook as much. So, this year I have been really just keeping an eye on my kid’s folder. I have a second grader at JRE and I noticed that it is much thinner than it used to be, including the fact that they don’t even print out second grade spelling list. My assumption would be maybe to save some money so this past week I decided had a little bit of time and I started looking for campus budgets, but I couldn’t find any of those online. I did however find the administration budgets and on the second page of each budget report it reads - our current enrollment is - in October it was 6097, this month in January 6213, and our budget is built on the demographer’s projection of 5805 students. I couldn’t find a record. I started looking for a record of the snapshot, which I know you guys send to the state in October and that’s where you receive your funding from the snapshot that you guys send in October so I’m going to assume that it was the October number in the budget report to 6097.  So then from there I went on and I started looking at I started looking for what was the campus budget based on - right cause I’m assuming it’s based on the number of students enrolled at each school.  And in the August budget report it actually does state that the 5805 is based on all the students that they were projecting for the school year and I also realize that there are no amendments to the budget to increase that amount. The January one very clearly states our budget is built on the first projection of 5805 students. So, when you think about JRE it has 599 students projected in August. In October, they had approximately 840 students. It’s now January they have approximately 900 students but they are receiving a budget for 599 students. Which is 33% less than Hilltop, West and South.  I was flabbergasted.  I’ve had complaints about the board in the administration in the past this is probably the worst thing that I have encountered. We are halfway into the school district and JRE has remarkably less money per student than the other elementary schools.  And you guys read these budgets every month,  you guys are aware that they are receiving money for 599 students - and yet I believe the number is they’re getting six new kids a week on average.  With 840 kids in October when you sent your snapshot in and I believe if they haven’t hit 900 yet they’re about to.  So, I am going to ask you very nicely that you work on an amendment to make sure that JR is receiving the proper amount of funding, especially since the snapshot for 6097 in October should cover the 840 approximate students that we had in October and ideally that you compensate them for the month that they have been behind so much. Our kids at JRE which is a very diverse group of children with parents so many of them parents that are immigrants they deserve the tools that they need the tools that the kids at the other elementary schools in the district have, and so do our teachers. They’re working with significantly less money and they shouldn’t be. And frankly, I’m disappointed that no one has realized this up until this point until me bringing it up today - so that’s it.

DISTRICT RESPONSE, PART A:

10% Budget Reductions and Copy Machines

As our community is aware, the development of the 2024-25 budget required significant budget reductions due to limited state funding allocations and inaction during the last State Legislative session. During the 2024-25 budget process, campus and departmental budgets were reduced by 10% with a 10% contingency, which is a common practice in school districts.  Even with adding the contingency funds to JRE as their enrollment has increased, there will likely be a need for additional district-level funding to ensure the campus needs are met. We anticipate this with the JRE principal as we move through the remainder of the year because campuses will begin ordering in April for supplies and resources to begin the 2025-26 school year.  Currently, JRE has expended 43% of the campus non-staffing budget. 

Regarding spelling tests, teachers have the option to assess for spelling in the way that works best for their students. Options available to teachers include paper spelling tests, Google forms, assessment through writing, etc. With the new HMH curriculum this year, teachers have expanded spelling options.  

DISTRICT RESPONSE, PART B:

Budget Built on Enrollment Projections vs. Actual Enrollment at Fall Snapshot

The demographer’s 2024-25 enrollment projection for AISD was 5,805 students for the fall. The actual enrollment at the end of October was 6,111. The funding formula for public schools in Texas does not fund on student enrollment, but rather Average Daily Attendance (ADA). ADA is figured as Total Daily Attendance/# of Instructional Days. The district has been aware of this enrollment increase and the increased ADA accounts for the updated revenue estimate. As discussed during the January 2025 board meeting, the district has been working with the Teacher Advisory Committee over the past few months collecting feedback on support needs recommended by our teachers. The district has made plans to offset the budget deficit of $1.29M and put the additional revenue back into supporting teachers and staff. You may view the agenda item at this link. 

Funding is based on student attendance (ADA) and not on snapshot date.  Each of the six 6-week periods is included in the funding formula.  AISD reviews every six weeks to see where we are trending compared to our estimates. Historically if a budget amendment is needed due to ADA, district administration brings it to the Board after the first semester data has been reviewed and again in the summer if needed.  A budget amendment will be brought to the February 2025 board meeting that increases revenue estimates by approximately $2.5M. Districts receive funding from TEA on a preset payment schedule.  As data is submitted to TEA through statewide submissions, TEA adjusts the payment schedule for each district and eventually, as final data is reviewed, there is a settleup process. \

DISTRICT RESPONSE, PART C:

AISD allocates funds to campuses based on estimated enrollment from the demographer and the characteristics of student populations.  This is common practice with many Texas school districts and was the process the previous AISD administration established as far back as 2012. Current AISD administration continues to follow that practice. 

The majority of funding for a campus is based on staffing, approximately 80%, very similar to the overall district’s budget.  Historically, all three (AWE, ASE, & JRE) of the elementary campuses have opened with significantly more students than projected.  In each instance, the district finance department has worked with the campus principal to navigate through the first year and ensure the campus had the resources needed. 

AISD Budgeting and Enrollment Management

AISD relies on the demographer’s report to establish campus budgets, including staffing allocations. As the school year approaches, campus principals collaborate with Dr. Daniel to adjust budgets based on actual enrollment. This collaborative process continues throughout the year.

Non-Staffing Budget Adjustments: While non-staffing portions of campus budgets typically remain fixed during the year, exceptions are made when opening new campuses. For example, with AWE, ASE, and now JRE, enrollment has exceeded projections. In these cases, district administration partners with campus principals to address any additional needs. Historically, district-level funding has been added to ensure all campus requests are met, and the same approach is being followed for JRE.

Budget Challenges for 2024-25:

Due to limited state funding and legislative inaction, AISD’s 2024-25 budget development included significant reductions:

• A 10% reduction to campus and departmental budgets.
• A 10% contingency reserve, a common practice in many school districts.

Even with contingency funds allocated to JRE, the campus may require additional district-level funding to meet needs as enrollment grows. This will be addressed collaboratively as the campus begins planning and ordering resources in April for the 2025-26 school year. Currently, JRE has utilized 43% of its non-staffing budget.

Staffing for Enrollment Increases:

As teaching sections are added to grade levels, supplies and equipment are needed for each section.  JRE was originally set up with 6 sections for each grade level, however, we have exceeded that in some grades.  District-level funding is used in these instances to set up the classrooms with grade-level-specific items because campus budgets are typically not sufficient for entire classroom setups. As of today’s date, AISD has expended or encumbered (purchase orders approved) $19,000 for additional sections at JRE out of the district budget.

AISD Funding and ADA-Based Budget Adjustments:

AISD's funding is determined by Average Daily Attendance (ADA) rather than the snapshot date. Funding calculations include data from all six 6-week periods of the school year.

Funding Review and Adjustments:

AISD conducts a review every six weeks to track attendance trends against initial estimates. If adjustments to the budget are needed due to ADA trends:
Mid-Year Review: District administration may propose a budget amendment to the Board after reviewing data from the first semester.

Summer Review:

Additional adjustments can be proposed based on final data for the school year.
Payment Process: The Texas Education Agency (TEA) provides funding to districts through a preset payment schedule. As AISD submits attendance data to TEA during statewide reporting periods, the payment schedule is adjusted. A settle-up process occurs once final data is reviewed to reconcile any differences in funding.
 

JEANETTE LUTZ

Hi, good evening.  So, during the construction of JRE when the zones for Argyle West were being re-drawn, I had asked the board to propose several options and that the line be drawn East to West, be Cleveland Gibbs rather than north to south on old Justin as this made the most sense for the traffic flow.  One option was presented to the public and the line was drawn on all Justin and those of us who bought a house across the street from West were told we had to go to the new school. I continued to advocate for myself and my neighbors here and grandfathering was accepted -  and I thank you for that - except 16th St. was split in half. I continued again to the board and to Dr. Carpenter for my children and the ten or so that we’re down the other half of 16th St. and was told no -  because according to the predictions the Zonda predictions these 12 or so children would put Argyle West over capacity and potentially require an additional teacher.  So, I’d like to read the numbers I found according to the district’s website.  Argyle West currently has a 661 students enrolled, JRE 891, Hilltop 778 and South 787. So, Argyle West has the least amount of students enrolled in JRE the highest.  JRE is already within five months of operating over capacity.  JRE’s capacity is listed at 850 and houses are continuing to be constructed within its boundaries.  Again, the actual student account there is now 891.  As the district continues to grow it’s important to manage this growth responsibly.  This includes the plans for the new middle school and high school. The lines currently drawn have West, JRE and South funneling into one middle and high school and then Hilltop mostly on its own. Argyle’s newer growth is within the previous three elementary schools that I just mentioned, so it almost appears as if we are being segregated from the new Argyle and the old.  I’m sure that is not the intentions of the district but if you run the demographics, you’ll see that Hilltop reported 81% Caucasian, 11% Hispanic, and 2% Asian or Pacific Islander. Argyle South 51% Caucasian, 22% Asian, 16% Hispanic.  West 67% Caucasian, 14% Hispanic, 10% Asian. I was getting conflicting info on JRE -  likely because it’s new, but I am told that it was last 47% Caucasian.  So, I would like to know please with the district plans are, if any, for diversifying both middle and high schools that are proposed and for allocating additional funds to JRE as we are way over anticipated an actual capacity and for managing future growth and I would ask the additional methods for analyzing and forecasting being incorporated as the ones used prior, we’re not accurate.  Thank you so much.

DISTRICT RESPONSE:

Argyle ISD is a fast-growing district, and like any rapidly expanding district, it will continue to face zoning changes as new schools are built and existing campuses reach capacity. AISD works with an experienced external demographer consultant to receive updated enrollment projections for each school. This group monitors neighborhood growth, new construction, and population trends. Leadership reviews this data alongside the demographer to assess whether campus boundary adjustments are needed for the upcoming school year.

AISD’s decision-making process is rooted in thorough short- and long-term planning. Boundary adjustments are made to ensure efficient space utilization and balanced enrollment across schools. The demographics of each campus reflect the neighborhoods they serve, as attendance boundary lines align with the natural composition of the neighborhood communities.

Argyle ISD aims to place students in schools near their homes as often as possible. However, to efficiently utilize available space, some neighborhoods or areas may be assigned to multiple schools based on their location. This is especially true in areas where AISD has several nearby campuses. During the boundary modification process, neighborhoods may be reassigned to existing schools or campuses that are not the closest in proximity. 

The District strives to keep neighborhoods together whenever possible. However, many neighborhoods are too large or densely populated with students to make this feasible. Recognizing that schools play a vital role in fostering connections and building a sense of community, Argyle ISD leaders are sensitive to this dynamic and; therefore committed to ensuring equitable experiences across the District, helping to create a smoother transition during times of change. Argyle ISD Learner Services Department works closely with campus administrators and teaching staff to horizontally align curriculum, resources, and teaching scopes & sequences to ensure equitable learning environments across campuses. 

HUMAIRA HASSAN

Hello, thank you for your time to the school board and your Dr. Carpenter. I appreciate you guys allowing us to come and speak. My name is Humaira Hassan. I am a mother to three students at Argyle ISD and I have one more incoming in the fall of 2026 as a kindergarten. I’m here today to just share some feedback as well about the zoning of the elementary schools in particular. I am actually on 16th St. on the north side so I did get rezoned unfortunately was not grandfathered in and it seems like there is talks again about JRE and Argyle West being rezoned again this fall.  And although I love, I absolutely love an adorable both schools and the staff and everything I am a little disappointed that there wasn’t as grandfathering allowed this past school year for the Harvest residence to stay at West,  and I’d love to see less disruption in the future and not more. I have young children - my oldest right now is a fifth grader so fortunately he’s able to walk home with my younger two, who are in second and first grade.  Next year as he goes to the Sixth Grade Center,  I’m kind of worried you know these kids gonna end up on the wrong street, wrong house - being only in third and second grade walking home. I love that they can walk home. Families in the north part of Harvest should be allowed to choose where they go and all future developments should be taken into consideration when they are planning for the zoning and rezoning and I did write that in last year when there was talks about it and I had a feeling that we were gonna get rezoned- at least by the time my daughter got to maybe second or third grade. Unfortunately, though again my across-the-street neighbors are going to Argyle West. We’re going to JRE. It’s fine. They’re both wonderful schools, but I would love to see just a decrease in the disruption to all of our children and all of our families. Thank you.

DISTRICT RESPONSE:

Argyle ISD is a fast-growing district, and like any rapidly expanding district, it will continue to face zoning changes as new schools are built and existing campuses reach capacity. AISD works with an experienced external demographer consultant to receive updated enrollment projections for each school. This group monitors neighborhood growth, new construction, and population trends. Leadership reviews this data alongside the demographer to assess whether campus boundary adjustments are needed for the upcoming school year. Districts allocate staffing resources based on campus enrollments determined through an attendance boundary process. Allowing families open enrollment, where enrollment numbers fluctuate due to parental choice, impacts effective budget and staffing planning.

AISD’s decision-making process is rooted in thorough short- and long-term planning. Boundary adjustments are made to ensure efficient space utilization and balanced enrollment across schools. The demographics of each campus reflect the neighborhoods they serve, as attendance boundary lines align with the natural composition of the neighborhood communities.

Argyle ISD aims to place students in schools near their homes when possible. However, to efficiently utilize available space, some neighborhoods or areas may be assigned to multiple schools based on their location. This is especially true in areas where AISD has several nearby campuses. During the boundary modification process, neighborhoods may be reassigned to existing schools or campuses that are not the closest in proximity. 

The District strives to keep neighborhoods together whenever possible. However, many neighborhoods are too large or densely populated with students to make this feasible. Recognizing that schools play a vital role in fostering connections and building a sense of community, Argyle ISD leaders are sensitive to this dynamic and; therefore committed to ensuring equitable experiences across the District, helping to create a smoother transition during times of change. Argyle ISD Learner Services Department works closely with campus administrators and teaching staff to horizontally align curriculum, resources, and teaching scopes & sequences to ensure equitable learning environments across campuses. 

As AISD continues to grow, especially at JRE, and the district prepares for another elementary school to open in the fall of 2027, the need to adjust attendance boundaries is always a consideration. 

ASHLEY CHAPMAN

Good evening members of the Argyle ISD Board of Trustees, Dr. Carpenter, and attendees.  Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak tonight.  My name is Ashley Chapman.  I’m here as a parent, a former educator, and as a community member and I’m here to speak about the proposed zoning. My family and I live in the northern portion of the district at 4765 S. Bonnie Brae Street, an area currently zoned for Hilltop Elementary.  While I understand the complexities of rezoning and the effort that goes into creating these boundaries, I would like to raise some concerns that I believe warrant some further consideration.  First, the proposed zoning map significantly increases the traffic burden for the families in our area, for example, our home on S. Bonnie Brae St. is 8.5 miles from Canyon Falls, which takes about 15 to 16 minutes under normal circumstances, and anybody that has driven that during drop off and pick up knows that that trip down 377 is significantly more than that.  In contrast, the drive to the current campus on 377 is just 3.7 miles and 7 to 8 minutes.  This raises the question - why would families in our area need to drive nearly double the distance past other campuses to reach their assigned school?  It feels counterintuitive, especially considering the proximity to facilities listed as one of the district’s guiding parameters for zoning decisions.  I’d also like to address safety, particularly along 377.  This road is already one of the busiest in our area and is undergoing a major expansion.  As part of the proposed zoning families, including teenage drivers would be required to travel further down this high-speed, heavily trafficked highway daily.  The additional distance and increased exposure to traffic risk pose legitimate safety concerns for our children.  Reducing travel distance when possible would help ensure the safety of students and families.  Looking at the district guiding parameters, I also noticed some inconsistencies in how zoning decisions appear to have been applied.  For example, neighborhoods in Country Lakes, and the homes between Crawford Road and Old Justin Road remain zoned for the 377 campus despite being situated near other facilities.  This raises questions about the criteria being used and whether they’re being applied effectively and equitably across the district.  While I recognize that 377 serves as a natural dividing line, this logic doesn’t appear to be consistently applied.  For families in our area crossing 377 to attend closer campuses like Hilltop or the current Middle School would be more practical than the proposed plan.  I understand that zoning is no small task and involves a lot of sensitivities and balancing many priorities.  I respectfully request the board take another look at the proposed zoning in our area particularly focusing on the disproportionate travel burden for families along South Bonnie Brae and Vintage, the safety risks of extended commutes on Highway 377, and ensuring consistency and how neighborhoods are evaluated against the district guiding parameter.  Thank you and I appreciate everything y’all do for students.

 

ARGYLE ISD:

The district presented a recommendation for middle and high school zoning to the Board of Trustees at a regularly scheduled meeting on November 18, 2024. Following that meeting, the district provided a two-week window for parent and community input and feedback. The district received approximately 150 responses and processed each response individually, developing themes to review with the demographer. The Board of Trustees also received all responses for review. Upon further review, the Board of Trustees voted to approve the recommendation with an amendment. The approved zoning recommendation was amended to include Bonnie Brae Rd. and the Vintage Blvd. area (both located in the far northern part of the district). These areas will now be part of the US 377 East zone for both middle and high schools. The new zoning changes will begin for middle schools in the fall of 2026. For high schools, the changes will start a year later, in the fall of 2027. Argyle ISD will post a finalized zoning map on the district website in the coming days. For full details on the strategic growth and facilities plan in Argyle ISD visit Soaring Together: 2026 & Beyond.

 

PHILLIP WHITE, PART A:

Thank you for the time tonight, Board.  I am in the neighborhoods up north. I’m off of 3216 Tamarack, which is just south of Vintage. I wanted to share similar concerns with Ashley. Although she’s gonna be much more well-spoken and has stuff - so I’m gonna shoot from the hip tonight.  As she noted we gotta go past this new campus for the existing campus to be converted. Seems, I don’t know kind of crazy to me to make people drive further away and drive us all zig-zagging around. We’re on this little island. I’m gonna shoot more from the emotional hip.  All these kids, the young ones that were just here, they’re gonna get to go to the school for all 12 years and they’re not gonna have to change unless their parents decide to move them out of the district, right? Our kids get to do the first six years at Hilltop make a bunch of connections and then sorry y’all - y’all get to go and do that all over again through no fault of your own other than maybe somebody that’s looking at it, you know some - we got an advisor to give us a recommendation right, so they said this is the best way to do it. I don’t agree. I think - hey you let these kids get to go to a school. They build a foundation they get to build friendships and then we gotta take it all away and they get to be the new kids and start all over. I do want to point out there was this little pocket by Crawford, by Country Lakes the neighborhood that’s right across from Old Justin and the police station. They’ve got a cross railroad tracks where there is no light, seems awfully dangerous if we’re concerned about safety to make those groups cross the railroad track, but ours are encouraged to drive down the highway to go around.  So that’s basically what I want to say is I think that you know emotionally you put our kids together for 5 to 6 years, and then you say no, hey sorry y’all gotta go to a different school. Which effectively in my opinion is like a different district. They’re gonna run separate, they’re gonna do their things, they’re gonna be the Eagles, and then whatever else. I saw it’s on the website it’s coming up with a new name next year, you know whatever it’s going to be. So, it seems odd to make them flip-flop at least once, so I would encourage you guys to take that northern area around Bonnie Brae, around Vintage, and keep them with the rest of the group that they’re with now. 

ARGYLE ISD RESPONSE PART A:

The district presented a recommendation for middle and high school zoning to the Board of Trustees at a regularly scheduled meeting on November 18, 2024. Following that meeting, the district provided a two-week window for parent and community input and feedback. The district received approximately 150 responses and processed each response individually, developing themes to review with the demographer. The Board of Trustees also received all responses for review. Upon further review, the Board of Trustees voted to approve the recommendation with an amendment. The approved zoning recommendation was amended to include Bonnie Brae Rd. and the Vintage Blvd. area (both located in the far northern part of the district). These areas will now be part of the US 377 East zone for both middle and high schools. The new zoning changes will begin for middle schools in the fall of 2026. For high schools, the changes will start a year later, in the fall of 2027. Argyle ISD will post a finalized zoning map on the district website in the coming days. For full details on the strategic growth and facilities plan in Argyle ISD visit Soaring Together: 2026 & Beyond.

PHILLIP WHITE, PART B

One other thing I would like to point out - it does feel an awful lot like this new school has given a lot more ruralness to it. You start looking at the maps and it’s a lot of these high dollar, rural, big lot homes that are all gonna be in the new school. Whereas, Canyon Falls is gonna end up with a lot of high-density neighborhoods - so it just feels like we’re picking and choosing here based on demographics. Well, we got very rural, very large lots and then we put basically all of our existing high-density neighborhoods into one school.  Again, just observations that I hope you guys will take into account and possibly reconsider the zoning of that north section, north of Bonnie Brae, and west of 377 to the school. Thank you for the time tonight. 

ARGYLE ISD RESPONSE PART B:

Argyle ISD is comprised of 5 different municipalities: Argyle, Bartonville, Denton, Northlake, and Flower Mound. Each municipality has very specific zoning regulations for developers, including lot sizes of residential properties and regulations on single-family and multi-family dwellings. When a district is tasked with zoning for opening new schools to accommodate for growth it is primarily a geographic process, therefore the types of neighborhoods and communities  in the attendance zones reflect the regulations set forth by the town itself. From a demographic standpoint, Argyle ISD currently has an overall low socioeconomic rate of 6.32%. This is a very low overall rate as the state average is 60%. The low socioeconomic rates that represent the current AISD elementary zones include: Jane Ruestmann Elementary at 3.9%, Argyle West Elementary at 4.2%, Hilltop Elementary at 8.4%, and Argyle South Elementary at 10.1%. Two of our western attendance zones are lower than the overall district rate. 

PHILLIP WHITE, PART C

Good evening.  I guess I’ll start off by saying that I hate public speaking, so the fact I‘m here is a testament to how strongly I feel about some of the points that I’m bringing up, so I apologize if I am terrible at articulating this. So, I’d be happy to talk afterwards or whatnot. Alright, I’ll jump in.  So, I’ve already sent the entire board kind of my general thoughts. But I wanted to just say it publicly - a couple things and just run through a few bullet points here. One has to do with the demographic report – let me back up for a second, I live in Harvest.  My kids go to JRE -my two oldest. The third should go to JRE assuming it doesn’t get rezoned all that stuff - separate discussions.  She’ll be in kindergarten coming up so, a little bit about me. Anyway, the  demographic report I wanted to bring out consistencies that I saw on it. I’m a chief data officer it’s one of the things I do is look at data and go - does this look right?  And it did not pass the smell test when I looked at it so then I dug way into it and my wife who serves on the Fresh Water board District had access to some numbers that allowed me to actually verify that it seems like it is way too low. That’s where I pulled those numbers from just so the Board’s aware that’s where that came from; Fresh Water District I, Fresh Water District II. I just encourage y’all take a look at those, take another look at them.  It’s possible we’re wrong, but we wanted to at least share what we saw and give an opportunity to say hey – is it right, is it wrong. At least give an opportunity based on - and part of that was also based on what we’ve seen in JRE with the frankly, the miss that occurred there and the way that it was kind of orchestrated and we know it was way higher than what was anticipated, so what else can we do to make sure that we set it up - we’re affected by it so what else can we do to help the board make sure to set up an administration set up for success going forward.  

DEMOGRAPHER RESPONSE TO PART C

The two largest current developments in the Ruestmann and Argyle West Elementary Zones are the Harvest development and the Ridge at Northlake development.  The Ridge at Northlake Development, as of the 3rd Quarter of 2024, had a total of 1,038 lots planned in the overall development.  That 1,038 total includes 503 occupied homes, 117 homes under construction, 40 vacant development lots ready for homes to be built on them, 374 future development lots, and 4 model/finished vacant homes.  The Harvest Development is a much larger development that now has two elementary zones in it and also is partially split with the Northwest Independent School District.  The overall Harvest Development has a total of 4,117 total lots planned in the overall development.  The anticipated lot count between the two Districts is 883 lots within Northwest ISD and the remaining 3,234 lots are within Argyle ISD.  The 3,234 lots also include the 191 single-family-for-rent homes that are tracked separately in our Zonda reports so the number that is referenced for the Harvest development in the District’s demographic reports is 3,043.  Our reports currently reference 3,045 lots.  That will be adjusted in the next report.  The Harvest Development, as of the 3rd Quarter of 2024, referenced a total lot count of 3,045 that included 2,144 homes/townhomes that were occupied, 275 townhomes/single-family homes that were under construction, 302 vacant developed lots that were ready for homes to be built on them, 287 futures that were in the process of being developed into VDLs, and 37 homes that are either model homes or finished vacant available to be sold homes.
 
Given the concerns related to the number of homes yet to be built in the Ruestmann attendance zone areas we can reference the following breakdown as referenced in the District’s report slide 7 titled District Housing Overview by Elementary Zone –
 
Vacant Developed Lots identified for the Ruestmann Attendance Zone referenced 285 that breaks down by development as follows –
 
Ridge at Northlake Development – 40 VDLs
Harvest Development – 230 VDLs
Creek Meadows – 14 VDLs
Estates at Pilot Knob – 1 VDL
Total – 285 Vacant Developed Lots that are ready for homes to be built on
 
Future Lots identified for the Ruestmann Attendance Zone referenced 660 that breaks down by development as follows –
 
Hawthorne Estates – 27 Future Lots
Skyline Hills – 36 Future Lots
Creek Meadows – 35 Future Lots
Harvest Development – 188 Future Lots
Ridge at Northlake Development – 374 Future Lots
Total – 660 Future Lots that are currently in the process of being developed with roads and utilities or are planned to be developed within the next several years.
We have the total number of single-family lots for both of these developments accounted for in the data that we track for the District.  Depending on when the survey of the activity is done the numbers can be a little different from other entity reports, but we do have the overall numbers accounted for in the data we track and in the attendance boundary software that we use.    

 

ROBERT RENEGAR, PART A:

Good evening – following the kids – I’m 54 and my favorite thing about this school district is the band and Hilltop.  So, I’ll start with that. You guys do a great job for us. 
I just want to second the thoughts of many of my neighbors in here. I also live on Bonnie Brae, and I drive my daughter to band down here all the time.  It takes me an hour some days to get down to to Cannon Falls and I don’t understand why we’re isolated up in the north and picked out from the rest of the folks. Driving past schools to get to school doesn’t seem to make any sense to me. It’s twice the gas for me, twice the expense. I don’t know what you guys are thinking about with busing, to bus kids twice as far as they need bus to do that. I would ask that you reconsider the zoning plan and move that north part of the school district back to the right side of the map. 

ARGYLE ISD RESPONSE, PART A:

The district presented a recommendation for middle and high school zoning to the Board of Trustees at a regularly scheduled meeting on November 18, 2024. Following that meeting, the district provided a two-week window for parent and community input and feedback. The district received approximately 150 responses and processed each response individually, developing themes to review with the demographer. The Board of Trustees also received all responses for review. Upon further review, the Board of Trustees voted to approve the recommendation with an amendment. The approved zoning recommendation was amended to include Bonnie Brae Rd. and the Vintage Blvd. area (both located in the far northern part of the district). These areas will now be part of the US 377 East zone for both middle and high schools. The new zoning changes will begin for middle schools in the fall of 2026. For high schools, the changes will start a year later, in the fall of 2027. Argyle ISD will post a finalized zoning map on the district website in the coming days. For full details on the strategic growth and facilities plan in Argyle ISD visit Soaring Together: 2026 & Beyond.

ROBERT RENEGAR, PART B:

I will also second what  this last gentleman said about the last bond. While I voted for bond, I will tell you that many in the district that I talk to the voted against it,  same same reason -  they weren’t assured that the money was gonna go to the teachers and for the services and I didn’t really feel that way - it was presented that way so when you do it again the next time you should call that out and try to make it more specific about where the money’s going. Anyway, I second what they said and I see some neighbors – I don’t know if you’re going to join or not.  Anyway, thanks y’all. 

ARGYLE ISD RESPONSE, PART B:

Bond and VATRE School Funding Referendum are two very different elections.

Bond 2024: Argyle ISD did have a Bond package on the ballot in May 2024 that addressed the student enrollment growth and current facility capacity issues AISD is experiencing. During the bond election cycle, the District conducted staff bond informational meetings at each campus and community informational meetings in various zones across town, including Argyle West Elementary, Argyle Middle School, and Argyle High School. The Bond 2024 website, located on the district website, included all aspects of the process from the planning committee to proposition details and tax implications to voter information. The May 2024 bond had 3 propositions and the tax rate would have remained the same, with no tax rate increase, if all three propositions had passed. All bonds are related to the Interest & Sinking (I&S) poriton of the district budget and are restricted on what they can be spent. Any bond dollars approved by the voters cannot be spent on teacher or staff salaries. It is important to note that there are many election laws and all election communications are reviewed and monitored by the district’s outside Bond Counsel. In addition, all prior Bond Programs approved by voters are overseen by the Bond Oversight Committee that is chaired and comprised of community members. 

VATRE School Funding Referendum 2024: Argyle ISD did have a VATRE School Funding Referendum on the ballot in November 2024. A School Funding Referendum is a public vote that allows a school district to raise additional funds for critical needs, such as staff salaries and daily operations, through tax rate adjustments. During the bond election cycle, the District conducted over 28 VATRE informational meetings across the community. These included locations such as: Jane Ruestmann Elementary, Argyle Middle School, Argyle High School, Harvest Hall, Farmhouse Coffee Shop in Harvest, Canyon Falls Community Center, Tour 18 Clubhouse, Uncle Mike’s Bistro, Marty B’s Coffee Shop, Argyle ISD Retired Teachers, Golden Agers, Silver Eagles, and booster clubs, just to name a few. These meetings were held in every attendance zone of the district. During these meetings and coffee talks, a full presentation that included detailed spend plans for the VATRE generated dollars was discussed with opportunity for Q&A. The VATRE website also contained informational materials. This VATRE proposition was related directly to the Maitnenance & Operations (M&O) side of the budget and would have created a 7.7 cent tax increase to the M&O tax rate. The M&O tax rate did decrease over 18 cents for the 2023-24 school year. 
 

Amelia Torres:

Good evening, School Board. My name is Amelia Torres. I’m coming to you as a parent and an educator. I also live on Bonnie Brae. I want to tell y’all thank you for your service here.  The countless hours that you give to our kids and our community really kind of pour the foundation - right for where we’re going and we’re moving forward and so thank you for that.  But I am coming today just to kind of talk about the rezoning and my concerns for those impacted specifically for my neighborhood - again living on Bonnie Brae. Our area was greatly impacted and my sentiments and feelings and thoughts, kind of a line with everyone else. It takes me about five minutes right now to get to the middle school where my son‘s a seventh grader. You know to pick him up especially if it’s not during those peak travel times with traffic, but to get down here it could take 20 minutes plus.  And so, I just think about the countless hours that our kids will spend either on the bus or in the car with their parents before school and after school and that’s just gonna add up overtime, and so I know that this isn’t easy what y’all are tasked to do is hard - there’s a lot of feelings tied to it and I know that it sounds like -or the idea was to make it, you know, an even line down the middle and I get that cause that makes it easy. It looks. It’s easy right, but I think whenever we think about how it impacts our kids, it isn’t easy and so I just hope that y’all just take those things into consideration as y’all make this really tough decision but yeah, that’s all I wanted to say. I’m not as eloquent as Ashley is but you know I know y’all care about our kids just like you care about our kids. I know many of y’all have kids in the district or have had kids in the district before and so like as parents we want the best for our kids and that’s why we moved here to Argyle. Again, thank y’all for your time and thank you for your consideration.

ARGYLE ISD RESPONSE:

The district presented a recommendation for middle and high school zoning to the Board of Trustees at a regularly scheduled meeting on November 18, 2024. Following that meeting, the district provided a two-week window for parent and community input and feedback. The district received approximately 150 responses and processed each response individually, developing themes to review with the demographer. The Board of Trustees also received all responses for review. Upon further review, the Board of Trustees voted to approve the recommendation with an amendment. The approved zoning recommendation was amended to include Bonnie Brae Rd. and the Vintage Blvd. area (both located in the far northern part of the district). These areas will now be part of the US 377 East zone for both middle and high schools. The new zoning changes will begin for middle schools in the fall of 2026. For high schools, the changes will start a year later, in the fall of 2027. Argyle ISD will post a finalized zoning map on the district website in the coming days. For full details on the strategic growth and facilities plan in Argyle ISD visit Soaring Together: 2026 & Beyond.

ZACH WILLHITE, PART A:

Good evening.  I guess I’ll start off by saying that I hate public speaking, so the fact I‘m here is a testament to how strongly I feel about some of the points that I’m bringing up, so I apologize if I am terrible at articulating this. So, I’d be happy to talk afterwards or whatnot. Alright, I’ll jump in.  So, I’ve already sent the entire board kind of my general thoughts. But I wanted to just say it publicly - a couple things and just run through a few bullet points here. One has to do with the demographic report – let me back up for a second, I live in Harvest.  My kids go to JRE -my two oldest. The third should go to JRE assuming it doesn’t get rezoned all that stuff - separate discussions.  She’ll be in kindergarten coming up so, a little bit about me. Anyway, the  demographic report I wanted to bring out consistencies that I saw on it. I’m a chief data officer it’s one of the things I do is look at data and go - does this look right?  And it did not pass the smell test when I looked at it so then I dug way into it and my wife who serves on the Fresh Water board District had access to some numbers that allowed me to actually verify that it seems like it is way too low. That’s where I pulled those numbers from just so the Board’s aware that’s where that came from; Fresh Water District I, Fresh Water District II. I just encourage y’all take a look at those, take another look at them.  It’s possible we’re wrong, but we wanted to at least share what we saw and give an opportunity to say hey – is it right, is it wrong. At least give an opportunity based on - and part of that was also based on what we’ve seen in JRE with the frankly, the miss that occurred there and the way that it was kind of orchestrated and we know it was way higher than what was anticipated, so what else can we do to make sure that we set it up - we’re affected by it so what else can we do to help the board make sure to set up an administration set up for success going forward.  

ARGYLE ISD RESPONSE, PART A:

The District has asked for additional information from Zonda Demographics and will update with a response when information has been received. 

ZACH WILLHITE, PART B:

Point number two that I want to bring out is that way the teachers in general broad, broad sense.  It’s been our observation, and I’m going to specifically talk about JRE cause that’s where we go, so I can’t say it broadly everything else but it’s been our observation that teachers are struggling and we haven’t heard like direct complaints because frankly that’s the sort of people they are. They’re not gonna just flat out complain to parents, but we just see it. We see it in the way they handle themselves.  We see it in the way that the kids are, we see it in their responses, and we – no fault of the teachers in our opinion. We just wanted to bring it up that hey - I encourage y’all take some time, take some time to listen to the teachers.  JRE is one example and I’m sure there are other ones as well. Take some time to listen to them, you might be surprised at what’s going on. I just wanna encourage y’all to take some time to do that.  

ARGYLE ISD RESPONSE, PART B:

The Superintendent Advisory Council was established for the 2024-25 school year and it includes teachers from each of the 7 campuses. The purpose of the Superintendent Advisory Council is to provide feedback and input on campus and district initiatives, events, and processes. The Council meets to discuss district and school-related topics that impact the student and teacher experience and affect the outcome of district goals. This council has met two times already this semester and has collected feedback from their colleagues on each campus in regards to district and campus challenges as they relate to curriculum and instruction, student services, teacher morale, and the retention of teachers and staff. This collective work is directly addressed by the Superintendent and district leadership, as well as shared with the Board of Trustees. 

ZACH WILLHITE, PART C:

1Final point - this is kind of something that I don’t know if it gets back to the Board, I don’t know if they’ve heard at least not in the public - they might privately, but my wife and I kind of did an informal survey about 15 to 20 families.  The vast majority of these families voted against the last two tax increases the VATRE and the Bond and so I want to bring some information to what we found from that – what was our observation but also what we heard from people. And a lot that had very little to do with giving teachers raises like that was actually number one thing that everyone said -hey if we knew that this money was gonna be used for teachers and used for support -  we’d be all for it. Our concern is like is it gonna get allocated for something else and that was really the concern. Now, whether you believe that or not is a whole different discussion, whether that’s reality or not, but that’s the concern that I have and what I’ve heard from the 15 to 20 people.  So, I would encourage you that that comes down to a trust thing, right?   When you get down to it all comes down to trust so I would encourage y’all just kind of a little challenge to encourage you to work on building trust. How do you build trust in the community? How do you build that? How do you continue to get that back across the community especially in high density where maybe there’s not as much trust right now in high density housing - how do you build the trust? We’re on the same team. We’re all here trying to get good education for kids. That’s what we’re all about, right? Work for you guys helping provide that education that we’re all on the same team so how do we work together to make it better? 

ARGYLE ISD RESPONSE, PART C:

Bond 2024: Argyle ISD did have a Bond package on the ballot in May 2024 that addressed the student enrollment growth and current facility capacity issues AISD is experiencing. During the bond election cycle, the District conducted staff bond informational meetings at each campus and community informational meetings in various zones across town, including Argyle West Elementary, Argyle Middle School, and Argyle High School. The Bond 2024 website, located on the district website, included all aspects of the process from the planning committee to proposition details and tax implications to voter information. The May 2024 bond had 3 propositions and the tax rate would have remained the same, with no tax rate increase, if all three propositions had passed. All bonds are related to the Interest & Sinking (I&S) poriton of the district budget and are restricted on what they can be spent. Any bond dollars approved by the voters cannot be spent on teacher or staff salaries. It is important to note that there are many election laws and all election communications are reviewed and monitored by the district’s outside Bond Counsel. In addition, all prior Bond Programs approved by voters are overseen by the Bond Oversight Committee that is chaired and comprised of community members. 

VATRE School Funding Referendum 2024: Argyle ISD did have a VATRE School Funding Referendum on the ballot in November 2024. A School Funding Referendum is a public vote that allows a school district to raise additional funds for critical needs, such as staff salaries and daily operations, through tax rate adjustments. During the bond election cycle, the District conducted over 28 VATRE informational meetings across the district. These included locations such as: Jane Ruestmann Elementary, Argyle Middle School, Argyle High School, Harvest Hall, Farmhouse Coffee Shop in Harvest, Canyon Falls Community Center, Tour 18 Clubhouse, Uncle Mike’s Bistro, Marty B’s Coffee Shop, Argyle ISD Retired Teachers, Golden Agers, Silver Eagles, and booster clubs, just to name a few. These meetings were held in every attendance zone of the district. During these meetings and coffee talks, a full presentation that included detailed spend plans for the VATRE generated dollars was discussed with opportunity for Q&A. The VATRE website also contained informational materials. This VATRE proposition was related directly to the Maitnenance & Operations (M&O) side of the budget and would have created a 7.7 cent tax increase to the M&O tax rate. The M&O tax rate did decrease over 18 cents for the 2023-24 school year. 

ZACH WILLHITE CLOSING REMARKS:

So, last thing I want to say thank you to all of you. I know this is mostly a thankless job. You guys take all time out of your personal life to do this, so thank you very much for that, and I wanna say a big thank you that we’ve had some exceptional teachers the five years I’ve been here.  So, publicly I wanna just acknowledge Teachers have been awesome and also acknowledge support staff that helps the teachers and everything else. Just wanted to say thank you. 

BOARD PRESIDENT SAM SLATON: Mr. Willhite, I did respond your email in case you haven’t seen it. 

ZACH WILLHITE: Yes, I did. I apologize,  I was at work.  I did see the response. Thank you.

DAVID RUBIN, Belmont One Freshwater District
 
"Thank you and good evening Board Members. My name is David Rubin and I’m a resident at 1416 13th Street in Harvest Community.  This evening however, I’m here representing Belmont 1 Fresh Water District as an elected officer on the board. If you’re not familiar with the Belmont districts, we were created by the Board of Denton County Commissioners and overseen by the Texas Commission on environmental quality.  Our district is empowered among other things to purchase, construct, operate and maintain all works - improvement, facilities, of graveled and paved roads within our district boundries.  These include sidewalks, ramps, and crosswalks.  We pay these activities through an annual ad valorem tax, which in 2023 was 1.158 billion in assessed value.  This tax base represents almost 3000 family homes. Belmont 1 includes homes that contribute approximately 70% of their children attending JRE, as such, parents who are active voters have engaged Belmont 1 to take action and support in protecting their children from potential traffic dangers now facing our community. The purpose of me standing in front of you today is to ask for your encouragement for the principals involved for the safety of our children to re-engaged the district regarding the traffic changes surrounding JRE.  We recognize the school is attempting to address safety issues that were not addressed during the initial engineering of the school.  While their approach may have addressed concerns on the property, the results are net negative overall to safety surrounding the school and the subsequent residential streets. The results of the revised traffic pattern has made some students and parents less safe. I’d like to share an example that one parent reached out to me where they were involved in being blocked in front of their own driveway by a parked car no less.  The irony of that was that parent had to rush their child to a medical emergency and had to drive over their grass and off the curb to circumvent the vehicle. You should be aware that Belmont 1 supported a recent petition with our community last week with the intent to request the administration reevaluate the traffic flow of pick up and drop off for student safety to minimize congestion on residential streets. I also understand our president, Jeff Riggs has reached out to you.  He looks forward to your response.  Not only do I thank you for your time with the parents and children who asked me to reach out to you - I thank them, as well.  I look forward to hearing from AISD and those at JRE in scheduling time for further discussion.  In the meantime, I encourage you to read the traffic impact analysis report which we paid for, which discusses the surround activity around JRE.  It can be found on the Belmont District website.  Like you, our Belmont 1 meetings are open.  We meet every second Monday of the month and we encourage you to come.  Thank you."

ARGYLE ISD:

The District has met with representatives of the Belmont Board and their traffic engineer on two separate occasions. At the conclusion of those meetings, the decision was to continue with the current traffic plan. However, we understand the entire Belmont Board has heard from their community and there are still concerns. The District and Mr. Riggs, Belmont Board President, are meeting again to further discuss the traffic concerns. 

JOSH STERLING

Thanks for letting me come here tonight. First, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with a couple of board members and I just wanna say thank you guys for the opportunity for me to meet, to be able to reach out, and you accept that invitation and actually one of you actually extending the invitation to me - so I thank you for that - it was awesome.   So, anybody that’s listening to this or watches the recording, if you haven’t reached out to your board members, I recommend that you do so because they are willing to listen and it’s been - we’ve had some good conversations.  So, I just wanna say thanks for that. I know as we’re getting closer into planning for future - not closer to - you are planning for the future.  I know that one agenda item that I spoke on a couple of months ago was when the Middle School moves and it gets split to two middle schools and I know that the idea is to, apparently the idea is to move seventh and eighth grade in with the high school. I have a kid that’s not, probably will not, be zoned for that school and I just want to say that even though I don’t have a student that would go to that school - I just wanna ask you guys please consider something different. I just don’t think putting a 12-year-old daughter with an 18-year-old boy in the same school is a good idea - again it wouldn’t be my daughter, but if we were to move or something like that it could be, so again I just wanna bring that up. So that also makes me want to ask is this the only solution?  Is it the best solution? I know it’s been done in the past. Argyle was a lot smaller. I just don’t want it to be because it’s something that we’ve always done and may not work this time, so I just wanted it to be something that’s considered.  And again, if it’s been considered and you guys have mapped all this out and that is the best plan that’s great. I love that and I’m for that. Well - I shouldn’t say that. I’m still not for that.  But I love the idea that it’s been mapped out and that is the best solution.  So again, is the best solution?

Then, with no stats to support what I’m about to say, I do think from a community standpoint and maybe it’s just me - I do think that if this is the best solution and with anything that’s decided upon as to what the solution, is the final solution, if the community could get a - This is what happens if we go this way, this is what happens if we go another way, and this is why we chose this direction.

I also think that’ll help with any bonding that’s going to be needed in the future. I think people want to see you know what - OK there’s two solutions there’s three solutions and this is why we chose the solution that we chose.  So, if that would be a possibility to see something like that, I think that would be a big help in support of a bond because it would show that hey, we understand there were two options, but this is why we chose this way.  So anyways, I just had those few comments to make again I appreciate everything you guys are doing and love the opportunity to be able to meet with those that I’ve met with so thanks again.

ARGYLE ISD:

Mr. Sterlings’s public comment addressed an action item on the agenda related to growth planning for the meeting held on August 19, 2024. The board voted 7-0 to adopt a revised Strategic Growth & Facilities Plan. 

The following is additional insight into district planning. The district has been reviewing configurations for a few years, under both the previous administration and the current administration.  Through various reviews of current facilities and enrollment expectations, the District and Board of Trustees believe the current plans to be the best option for AISD. 

The new middle school will open on FM 407 in the fall of 2026. According to the demographer’s projections, AISD will have 1,181 seventh and eighth graders to begin that year. The capacity of that building is 1,200. The planning discussions have focused on the number of students and the building’s capacity in the first year it opens. The following year in 2027-28, AISD is slated to have 1,277 seventh and eighth graders which puts the district over capacity at the beginning of the school year. Additionally, beginning with the 2027-28 school year, the current AHS campus at Canyon Falls exceeds capacity, thus the timing on transitioning to two high schools in that year. The 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years are the pinch-point for secondary capacity in AISD. With this reality, the district looks to best utilize current facilities to avoid overcrowding buildings where necessary. 

The 377 campus was originally a campus that served 7-12th graders for several years, including sixth graders at one point. Therefore, in its design and layout, it provides measures that allow the administration to successfully separate and serve students in those grade levels. 

The district can utilize the 377 campus as the second middle school and avoid moving all students to the FM 407 middle school site to turn around the next year and have to move some of them out. This allows time for a second middle school to be considered on a bond and land parcels to be purchased.

The configuration at the 377 campus would be:

• 2026-27: 7-8th graders zoned for future Middle School #2 only

• 2027-28: 7-8th graders zoned for future Middle School #2 and 377 HS 9th-10th graders only

• 2028-29: 7-8th graders zoned for future Middle School #2 and 377 HS 9th-11th graders only

• 2029-30: 377 HS 9-12th graders only and 7-8th graders zones for future Middle School #2 would need a new school (bonded and built)

The district and campus administration will always have student safety as a priority and as the campus prepares to open as a combination site in 2027-28, the campus administration in place will have those procedures and practices well defined and communicated to students, parents, and all staff. 

ACELA SPEIGELBERG
The linked letter was read into public comment by the community member.

DISTRICT RESPONSE:

The agenda for the July 30, 2024 special board meeting was publicly posted on Thursday, July 25, 2024. As stated by Dr. Carpenter during the meeting, the District had not received the letter read into record by the community member as of the date of the meeting on July 30, 2024. When Dr. Carpenter stated no letter had been received, the community member stated the letter had been mailed on Friday. On Wednesday afternoon, July 31, 2024, the District officially received the certified letter read into record during the board meeting.

Full length District response may be accessed at this link.

ERIN REED: "Good evening. My name is Erin Reed and as most of you know, I have four daughters. I stand before you tonight to express my support for the decision to vote down the recent Title IX mandates. This choice is crucial for safeguarding our daughters’ rights and ensuring that our educational environment remains fair and equitable. Title IX was established to protect students from discrimination and it is essential that we continue to recognize and uphold the biological distinctions that exist between male and female students. Our daughters deserve a safe space where their rights and opportunities are not overshadowed by policies that blur these important lines. By voting against these mandates, we are affirming our commitment to protect the integrity of female sports, privacy in our locker rooms, and bathrooms, and the unique experiences that shape our daughters’ educational journeys. We are assuring that all students can thrive in an environment that respects their identity and fosters healthy competition. So, let’s prioritize the voices of our daughters and recognize their rights.  Let’s continue to recognize students based on their biological sex while supporting those who choose to identify otherwise, at the moment. Together we can create a school community that is inclusive while also respecting biological realities. Thank you for considering the best interest of our children as you make this important decision. All present who are in agreement with me please stand in support of our Board and represent the majority of our community. Please stand. Thank you.”

ARGYLE ISD:

Mrs. Reed’s public comment addressed an action item on the agenda for the meeting held on July 15, 2024. The board voted 6-0 to adopt a resolution denouncing the changes to Title IX. The board also voted 6-0 to adopt policy FA (LOCAL), which codifies the current practice regarding parental rights and responsibilities related to safeguards, facilities, and pronouns that has been in place since August 2022.

ACELA SPIEGELBERG: "Good evening. So, I wanted – there was two issues that I wanted to discuss.  One is the traffic routes for JRE. It was something that I had brought up a year ago and when I spoke to someone from the Belmont board, they said that they could only discuss in their meetings with the school district had brought up, and they had not brought up traffic patterns. And, by my estimation there’s about 400 students expected to come in from the Ridge into Harvest through two side streets through two small roads - 19th and 17th St. Both of which allow public parking and it’s already very hard for cars coming from two different directions to go down them and they did not hear anything about traffic going through those side streets when the school district made their presentation so, now they have to wait until there are complaints from the public, which wouldn’t happen until school is in session in August. They wouldn’t meet again until September and we could be dealing with very big traffic issues that would affect drop off and pick up at JRE if that’s not addressed before school starts so I’m hoping that you guys are working on that and that you will be going to the Belmont water district with some recommendations as to how they should route traffic until Cleveland Gibbs is complete.  

So, that’s one piece.  And then the second piece is we still don’t have any financials for your 10-Year Strategic Plan and you are asking for a raise for teachers, which I am in complete agreement with, they deserve it. They deserve that money however, the resolution that you guys have - that you guys posted on the website shows that it would only guarantee compensation for the first year, and it doesn’t say anything about removing that tax if and when the state does start to reimburse the school the way that it should be for the students and those two things would mean that if you do need money for your 10 Year  Strategic Plan for the two year High School split you’re in essence you could in essence take from this tax money that you would be advertising as money for raises for teachers. So, it’s something that the optics would not look good if it doesn’t have - if you don’t either have that financial information along with maybe changing the language in the resolution if it truly is meant to be something that’s meant to compensate teachers - that money – so, those are the two things that I wanted to bring up. Thank you so much."