09/28/2022
Meeting this Thursday!!!
There is a board public hearing and voting meeting this Thursday, Sept. 29 starting at 5:30 PM.
Agendas are found here: https://go.boarddocs.com/tx/austinisd/Board.nsf/Public
Highlights, in order of importance for me personally:
1. Removing certification requirements for elementary teachers: Agenda item 16.1 proposes removing the requirement for teacher certification or enrollment in an alternative certification course for elementary teacher hires. I have serious concerns that this reduces the professionalism of elementary teachers and puts our youngest students, who are not yet skilled self-advocates, at risk. Moreover, this proposal does not lay out a plan to safeguard against placing a concentration of uncertified teachers at our Title 1 elementary schools, where most of our vacancies exist. While I understand the dire needs of staffing our schools, I believe that lowering our standards is never a good long-term solution. See: http://go.boarddocs.com/tx/austinisd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=CH7P926376F2 (page 7).
2. College, Career, and Military Readiness: This is a new Scorecard goal that I am very excited about! I must give credit to the E3 Alliance for helping our board make this addition to the Scorecard. In summary: An estimated 34% of our economically disadvantaged students graduating in 2020 (most recent data) met the CCMR outcome bonus criteria (ie, enrolled directly into college, earned an industry certificate in HS, or earned an associate degree in HS). More info here: http://go.boarddocs.com/tx/austinisd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=CGXMXW5C6424 It seems we have been doing quite a bit better than the state on this measure, which is wonderful to see! (Refer to graph below.) However, there is a persistent equity issue in that the rate for our economically disadvantaged grads is about half that (34%) of our non-economically disadvantaged grads (69%).
3. AISD's very own version of the "Crown Act"--Item 14.3 updates our dress code to allow "hairstyles of any length and style." I am so proud to be part of a district that honors students' cultures and self-expression in this way. See http://go.boarddocs.com/tx/austinisd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=CHTU6U7A953D
4. Financial rating: The required public hearing on AISD's financial integrity will include a discussion of our "Superior" ratings from the TEA. This is the highest category, and I am truly that we got it! Thank you to our CFO Ed Ramos and his team! More info is at: http://go.boarddocs.com/tx/austinisd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=CHMJGZ4D047B
5. Budget development calendar: I appreciate many of the improvements to the calendar, in particular the approval of teacher salaries in April prior to the overall budget vote in June. I also really love that there will be detailed campus level budgets. However, as I brought up at the last board info session, I am hoping to see more explicit milestones listed for monthly community engagement (esp with PTA, CAC, dual language, sped communities, and other parent groups), as well as a board approval for staffing allocations, a presentation from the Long-Range Planning Committee and Equity office, and return on investment of our programs.
6. Resolutions: I am excited to see a worker protection resolution, (item 10.1), electric bus resolutions (item 10.2), and a culture of voting resolution (item 14.1) on the agenda. Thank you to our board and administration for valuing these important issues.
There are many other issues that will be discussed, but these are the ones I wanted to highlight.
You may either sign up to speak in person or record your testimony by calling 512-414-0130 between 7:45 a.m. and 3 p.m. the day of the meeting. Comments will have to relate to agenda items. See http://go.boarddocs.com/tx/austinisd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=CEPT5D72F356
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