July 13, 2020

Dear Governor Abbo5,

As the Board Presidents of nine of the largest school districts in Texas, elected by the voters of our
communiCes, we represent approximately one third of all the students in Texas. We are wriCng in
support of a le5er you have received recently by the Texas School Alliance (TSA) and the Texas Urban
Council of Superintendents (TUC) regarding concerns we face with our community, parents, school
district employees, and students as the upcoming start of the school year begins.
As you know, condi&ons have changed drama&cally in the last four weeks, and they con&nue to
worsen daily. It is clear you recognize the ever-changing situaCon as we’ve seen the daily developments
in both numbers of cases, pulling back from opening certain businesses, mandaCng masks in the
majority of counCes, etc. School districts and their communiCes are facing the same worsening
condiCons, and these recent circumstances are far more acute than when districts across the state were
closed iniCally this past spring.
Unfortunately, recent funding decisions by TEA haven’t provided the flexibility necessary for school
districts to accommodate the varying condiCons with which we are facing at this Cme. School districts
require stability to open without fear of financial losses, and we need flexibility to open school in a
manner we determine is best for each community. To that end, we request the following:

1. Set a floor for average daily a5endance (ADA) for next year. An ADA floor will provide the
greatest level of certainty and stability at this criCcal juncture. We recommend not allowing ADA
for any district to fall below the final ADA count for the 2019-2020 school year. This would mean
no district would need to contemplate reducCons in staffing or other budget cuts this fall at a
Cme when students and their families will need more support from their schools.

2. Allow school districts the flexibility to design instrucConal systems that meet the needs of
families and staff given local health condiCons. Certainly, we all want students to be in school,
but local school districts must have the flexibility to make sure any approach taken is safe for
students, staff, and families without the fear of losing funding. To be clear, we must have the
ability to make decisions as to whether or not campuses will be open or available at any :me
during the school year. If we believe it is hazardous to have students, teachers, and staff at the
campus and/or district, we must have the ability to make those decisions that are both
instrucConally sound and safe for everyone. To say we are required to have in-class instruc:on
– no ma@er what the situa:on is – is not only reckless but unsafe for our students and our
staff.

3. Allow school districts to prohibit students from a5ending school if they have been in contact or
exposed to an individual who has been diagnosed with Covid-19. As of July 7, the newly
released Health Guidance (page 3, under Prac'ces to Prevent the Virus from Entering the
School) rules allow a parent to decide whether or not their student can a@end school under
the condi:ons stated above. We are hopeful this is a mistake in the Guidance.

As elected school boards in the Texas Urban Council districts and the Texas School Alliance (TSA), we are
working hard to ensure our schools re-open safely. We must answer to each of our local communiCes
and in doing so, we must have the ability to respond accordingly. To do so, Texas school districts need
your decisions on the issues outlined above no later than July 17, 2020.
Thank you for your consideraCon of this important ma5er.

Respec^ully,

Paul A. Shanklin
Board President, Aldine ISD

Geronimo M. Rodriguez, Jr.

Board President, AusCn ISD

Janie Bell
Board President, Corpus ChrisC ISD

JusCn W. Henry
Board President, Dallas ISD

Bob Geske
Board President, El Paso ISD

Jacinto A. Ramos, Jr.

Board President, Fort Worth ISD

Sue Deigaard
Board President, Houston ISD

Pab Radle
Board President, San Antonio ISD

Cruz A. Ochoa, Jr.

Board President, Ysleta ISD