Library books approved
The board approved the list of library materials recommended by the School Library Advisory Council.
The SLAC was established in response to Senate Bill 13 and oversees the approval and challenge process of these materials.
Tasha Barker, assistant superintendent of organizational services, said district librarians selected the book titles to support curriculum and encourage student reading. The list was posted publicly for 30 days and received feedback from one parent.
Of the 2,588 books needed to be considered, each SLAC member received 189 books to review. Of these, 92 had comments to be reviewed.
Trustee Keely Cano, who is a nonvoting liaison to the SLAC, voted against the item during the board meeting. Cano acknowledged that while the committee is a work in progress, there were 63 books not discussed and that the SLAC's final vote was "spurred by running out of time."
Of the 11 members present at SLAC's Oct. 14 meeting, six voted in favor while five voted against, she said.
"When I look at that as a representation of 45% of the people there possibly translated to a broad spectrum of the community, if 45% of the committee weren't comfortable with it, I'm going to take that into deep consideration," Cano said.
However, trustee Jonathan Bove said the SLAC meeting had a quorum, and members had the opportunity to review comments beforehand.
"Our challenge process remains in effect, and any book that was purchased for the curriculum can still be reviewed by community members at large and responded to if they feel they have an ongoing concern that wasn't addressed," Bove said.
New counseling services and a grant
LTISD recently launched two new initiatives: a community resource directory, which includes resources for mental health services, housing assistance and more; and a virtual parent workshop series.
The upcoming parent workshop series includes a fentanyl presentation by the Forever 15 Project on Oct. 27, and a vaping presentation by the Texas School Safety Center on Nov. 16.
Jennifer Garrigan, director of counseling and health services, said LTISD was also one of three Texas districts to receive the Effective Advising Framework grant.
The grant focuses on improving advising practices and building counselor capacity to promote college, career and military readiness and the Career & Technical Education program. It will be implemented in the 2026-27 school year and provide between $50,000-$120,000 in funding, Garrigan said.
District receives 'superior achievement' financial rating for 23rd year in a row
LTISD received 94 out of 100 possible points, or an "A" rating, from the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, or FIRST. The district has received an A rating each year since FIRST's inception, and the current rating is based on the 2023-24 fiscal year.
The rating system was developed by the Texas Education Agency to ensure Texas public schools are "held accountable for the quality of their financial management practices," Chief Financial Officer Pam Sanchez said.
Of the 21 financial scoring indicators, 11 are given a "pass/fail" and consider if financial reports were submitted on time, debt payment compliance and more. LTISD received a passing score on all 11 indicators.
The other 10 indicators are scored from 1-10. However, of these:
- Two indicators were scored out of five points: average daily attendance projections, and if required financial information was posted on the district website. LTISD received five points for both.
- TEA did not score one indicator due to COVID-19. Districts received Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds to help general operating expenditures, and this indicator required a three-year average of variances between budgeted and actual revenues.
