Judson ISD trustees pull consultants staffing and financial slides after data discrepancies

Presiding officer (unnamed) told the Judson ISD board that an external consultant scheduled to present the districts financial-health indicators and a staffing study declined to present after finding "high levels of variability" in data the district provided over the weekend. The consultant asked more time to disaggregate updated files, and administration recommended pulling the related agenda items until the analysis can be clarified.

The consultants withdrawal prompted an emotional exchange among trustees. Miss Ryan said she was "frustrated and disappointed" that incomplete or inconsistent materials had been presented to volunteer board members and said she would add an agenda item to address preparedness going forward. Mr. Macias and other trustees urged that the board obtain "accurate data" before making decisions that could affect campus closures or staffing.

District staff and data specialists said the discrepancy stemmed largely from differences between total headcount and full-time-equivalent (FTE) calculations and from coding changes requested by the consultant. "The FTE counts are typically lower than the total staff counts, and so you really can't compare them," Dr. Goss said, explaining that some workers previously listed in central-administration codes were recoded this year as campus staff or teachers. Staff said a total-staff figure used earlier in presentations was 3,464 and that the draft slides circulated the night before appeared to omit several hundred individuals because of reporting and coding differences.

A motion to postpone formal discussion until consultant Moe Casey and the consultants could appear was made by Miss Ryan and seconded (transcript indicates Miss Poteet). That motion was opened for discussion, and after back-and-forth about procedure and the consultants request, the presiding officer withdrew the motion and allowed administration and the consultant to pull the agenda items. Board members indicated assent; no formal roll-call vote on the motion was recorded.

Board members and staff identified several concrete data items that will need additional disaggregation before the consultant returns, including how instructional coaches and similar positions were coded (staff said 112 instructional coaches were recoded into teacher roles in some reports) and how district payroll expenditures align with reported staffing counts. Board members noted the district is working with a consultant to identify potential options for closing an estimated $30 million to $35 million deficit, but officials said any decisions must be based on verified data.

Next steps: administration and the consultant will set a new date to return with clarified, disaggregated data. The board then moved into a closed session later in the meeting (see separate item).