Inside the Cabinet Meeting
With Dr. Jim Largent - Issue 12 - December 2023
A view of administrative decision-making from a retired superintendent’s no-nonsense filter.
In light of the actions of our legislature, school leaders should band together for a “Call to Action” to inform our employees and community about what is going on in Austin, and emphasize the need to VOTE for pro-public education candidates, those who support public schools with their VOTE in the legislature, not just give lip service when asked questions.
Our employees and students are being used as political pawns while the State sits on over $40 BILLION of taxpayer dollars! The governor has said that until vouchers pass, that money will not go to increase the basic allotment or to give teachers a much-needed pay raise. This is a travesty!
The only reason vouchers failed (again) was due to about 20 rural legislators who dared to stand up to the pressure from the Governor and Lt. Governor. Otherwise, we would have seen the beginning of a complete disaster for public education. Had vouchers passed, we would not recognize public education in Texas in 10 years (my opinion).
We need our employees to understand the voucher issue and how important it is for them to vote in large numbers in every election, especially the primaries. Educators should support candidates who are pro-public education, no matter their party. It is only until we do this, that things will change. If politicians knew we would vote in large numbers, I guarantee you the voucher discussion would be over. As school leaders, we must find ways to inform our employees and strongly encourage them to vote. If you need suggestions about things you can do, legally, contact me. I am happy to help.
Jim
Contact me at jmlarge65@gmail.com or give me a call at 903-721-4660.
LEADERSHIP BOOK IS AVAILABLE
A great Christmas gift or stocking stuffer for your favorite educator!
My book, “Leading in Chaos: A Commonsense Blueprint for New and Aspiring Leaders” is available and would make a great gift! It is an easy read with tools that can be quickly be put to use! It covers a wide range of topics every school leader has to deal with. This may be a perfect book for your leadership team, new administrators, and those looking to grow in the profession. It was a #1 New Release and a #1 Best Seller in several categories on Amazon the week it was released.
As the author, I'd be grateful if you would consider ordering a copy of the book today for you and your team and share the link with anyone you believe would benefit from reading it. You can find it on Amazon as an e-book, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook. Search the title on Amazon or simply use this link: https://geni.us/LeadinginChaos
TRAINING OPPORTUNiTIES
As you begin planning for training opportunities for your staff and school board, please consider me. As a TEA Registered Provider for Board and Administrator Training, I customize training and presentations based on your needs. Following are some of the possibilities:
Buy the book for you and your team to use as a book study. https://geni.us/LeadinginChaos
Workshops from one-hour to 3-days based on your needs.
Year-long mentorship programs individually or in groups.
Team of 8 Training for you and your board.
Let me know if you would like to discuss these or any other training you may be interested in. I love working with administrators and school boards and can provide references. For more information click the button or link below.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eni4Jk_CHFZrH8_yY_5ySMGRIYdgjXFO/view?usp=drive_link
TPA/HEALTH INSURANCE
As with every other product you purchase or group you contract with, it is important to evaluate your third-party administrator (TPA) and your current healthcare provider. I am working with INSGROUP, a Baldwin risk partner, and one of the nation’s leading strategic risk and insurance advisors for over 40 years. We are actively building out a consortium of schools that want to improve the products they offer their employees.
With healthcare, many schools are considering leaving the TRS system, or they already have. Schools are finding that we can usually offer lower premium costs, lower deductibles, and better care, and every plan is customized for each school district.
On the TPA side, some of our competitors have agreements with companies that must be placed in your schools. We do not! We work with you to find the best products for you and your employees. We have also found that we can do your TPA work at a lower cost than your current provider, sometimes significantly lower.
With most plans starting September 1, time is of the essence if you would like to look at options for next year. Contact me to set up an introductory meeting to see how we may be able to work together.
SCHOOL COMP
I am proud to work hand in hand with SchoolComp, in my opinion, the best workers’ comp program in the state! Workers’ comp is an area that gets overlooked in many school districts, and it really shouldn’t.
If you haven’t shopped this program in some time, now is the time! There are clauses, agreements, and outright schemes out there that may be bilking you out of a lot of money and not taking care of your employees. Some companies are not financially stable, don’t have transparent financials, and can’t tell you where YOUR MONEY is actually being spent. Some even have access to your bank accounts and just withdraw money as they deem necessary.
With most plans beginning September 1, now is the time to start planning to do a review for next school year. It is a simple process on your end, and we will work with you to show you what SchoolComp can do for you and your district. We have a long track record of being financially secure, and transparent with our pool members, and your team will enjoy working with our industry professionals. Contact me for more information.
SPENDING BOND PROCEEDS
Lighting and HVAC
Did you pass a bond in November? Does part of your bond program include renovation and/or restoration of older buildings? If so, think about using a company that specializes in designing HVAC and lighting systems. Air quality and lighting are ways to quickly and very noticeably improve your schools. This can be a key part of a bond program.
Contact me if you are interested in having E3 come out and perform a no-cost, comprehensive review of your facilities’ HVAC systems to analyze indoor air quality and/or lighting options and offer appropriate recommendations and corrective measures.
RECHARGE THE BATTERIES
I hope you have all had a pleasant and uneventful Fall semester and I know you are looking forward to some much-needed time off. For most of you, this is the longest break you get all year, so take advantage of it! Use this time to take your mind away from school and focus on family and friends. Do some projects around the house. Do something special with your family and/or friends. I like to call this time, “recharging the batteries.”
As much time and effort as you put into your job, your staff, and your students, the winter break is a good time to give yourself some “me-time.” You owe it to yourself and you deserve it! Do some things you want to do; things you normally don’t have time for. It is important to rest your body and your mind to help prepare yourself for the Spring semester.
I wish you all a very happy Holiday Season! See you in 2024!
All the Best,
Jim
Dr. Jim Largent
Largent Consulting LLC
Founder/CEO
1619 Malibu Bay Ct
Granbury TX. 76048
903-721-4660
Facebook: facebook.com/largentconsultingllc
Twitter: @DrJimLargent