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Heads up, Texas taxpayers: we’ve reviewed the upcoming DENTON ISD agenda and found 6 items that deserve your attention before the gavel falls.
| WARNING (LEVEL 7) |
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District Promotes Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying Group
The district is celebrating student artwork featured at txEDCON, the annual convention for the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB). While celebrating students is good, participation in TASB events lends credibility and support to an organization that actively lobbies the Legislature against taxpayer interests, such as parental rights and property tax relief.
Response
Email the Board (contact info on district website): ‘Regarding Item 4.B, while we support our students, I am concerned about the district’s participation in events hosted by TASB, which lobbies against parents and taxpayers. Please reconsider our district’s relationship with this organization.’
💰 Impact: Supports Lobbying Group
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| WARNING (LEVEL 7) |
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District’s Lobbying Agenda Buried in Meeting Minutes
Buried in the minutes for the October 13 meeting, which are up for routine approval under Consent Item 8.A, is the district’s official legislative lobbying agenda. This agenda includes using taxpayer resources to lobby the state legislature to ‘Limit TEA authority,’ prioritizing its own bureaucratic power over classroom needs.
Response
DEMAND A RECORDED VOTE: Email the Board (contact info on district website): ‘I demand Consent Item 8.A be pulled from the Consent Agenda for a separate discussion and roll-call vote. Taxpayers deserve to know which board members approve of using our resources to lobby for limiting state oversight.’
💰 Impact: Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying
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| WARNING (LEVEL 6) |
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New ‘Supportive Schools’ Program May Hide SEL
The board is discussing the ‘Safe and Supportive Schools Program,’ which uses a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to address students’ ‘social and emotional concerns.’ This framework, combined with the ‘STOPit’ reporting app, can open the door to Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) programming and student data collection that falls outside of core academics.
Response
Email the Board (contact info on district website) regarding Item 7.A.5: ‘What specific curriculum will be used for social and emotional support? Parents must have the right to review all materials and opt their children out of any surveys or data collection through the STOPit app or other platforms.’
💰 Impact: Student Data Collection
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| WATCH (LEVEL 5) |
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Public Comment Rules Allow for Reduced Speaker Time
The district’s public comment policy allows the board to adjust speaker time limits, which can be used to shorten public input on controversial topics. The policy also prioritizes speakers by category (students, then parents, then others), potentially pushing non-parent taxpayers to the end of the line or out of time.
Response
Monitor the Open Forum (Item 6). If the Board reduces speaker time, email them (contact info on district website): ‘The policy allowing for adjustment of public comment time should be used to expand, not limit, public input. All taxpayers deserve their full three minutes to be heard.’
💰 Impact: Reduced Public Access
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✅ Wins for Taxpayers
Good moves worth showing up to support so they stick.
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| Major Win (LEVEL 8) |
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District Earns Top Marks for Financial Management
The district has earned the highest possible financial accountability rating, ‘A – Superior Achievement,’ for the 24th consecutive year. This demonstrates a long-term commitment to responsible fiscal management and transparency with taxpayer dollars.
How to Lock It In
Show up to the public hearing for Item 5 to thank the Board and district staff for their consistent, responsible financial stewardship. This long-term track record of excellence should be publicly commended and set as the standard for other districts.
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| Major Win (LEVEL 7) |
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District Saves $1.3M on School Construction
The board is set to approve a change order for the new Reeves Elementary School that reduces the total project cost by $1,378,001. This is a significant saving of taxpayer money on a major construction project and demonstrates responsible fiscal stewardship.
How to Lock It In
Email the Board (contact info on district website) to thank them for approving Consent Item 8.F. Securing a $1.37M cost reduction on a construction project is excellent fiscal stewardship that should be publicly recognized.
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