Austin ISD board approves 3-year contracts for teachers

For many years, AISD offered three-year contracts to its teachers and staff, Superintendent Meria Carstarphen said. Then in June 2011, Education Austin along with the Austin Association of Public School Administrators, or AAPSA, agreed to transition to one-year contracts for professional employees, including teachers and administrators. Most other area school districts offer one-year contracts, Carstarphen said.

Since then, the district has discussed employment contracts and the district's financial conditions annually with the parties involved. In January during a consultation process as part of board policy, Education Austin and the AISD administration reached impasse regarding contract duration, trustee Tamala Barksdale said.

A board subcommittee recommended that professional employees continue to be offered one-year contracts after hearing presentations and responses to subcommittee members' questions from Education Austin and the administration. The subcommittee voted 2-1 to maintain the current practice. On the subcommittee, board trustees Amber Elenz and Lori Moya voted for 1-year contracts, while Barksdale voted for 3-year contracts.

At the Feb. 24 meeting, trustee Gina Hinojosa made the motion to reinstate 3-year contracts. Trustee Hinojosa along with trustees Barksdale, Jayme Mathias, Robert Schneider and Ann Teich voted for the motion, while trustees Cheryl Bradley, Elenz, Lori Moya and board President Vincent Torres voted against.

"We have no facts to support changing to a 3-year contract at this time," Elenz said. She cited enrollment declines and the implementation of House Bill 5 as challenging factors and said she did not oppose three-year contracts but thought trustees needed more information before making the decision.

Bradley suggested waiting until after a decision is made regarding the ongoing school finance lawsuit to revisit the contract terms.

"I don't think you wait for respect," Zarifis said. He added three-year contracts are part of an overall employment package that he thinks will make AISD more attractive in terms of recruiting and retaining the best teachers.

Feedback

During citizens communication, parents, teachers and community members shared their feedback regarding the vote.

AAPSA President Cathryn Mitchell noted the AAPSA still supports one-year contracts rather than three-year, as the district is facing financial challenges.

In a presentation on the district's preliminary budget for fiscal year 2015, AISD Chief Financial Officer Nicole Conley called the outlook for the district "bleak" and said trustees will likely need to work toward calling for a tax ratification election, or TRE, in 2015 to bring more revenue into the district.

Parent Adolphus Anderson asked the board to continue to honor one-year contracts until the district's financial situation stabilizes.

"We make hard decisions based on our children's success, and I ask that the board continue to do that in a fiscally sound manner. The fact that the district and its attrition rate as a whole has [gone] down by at least two percent while we were on one-year contracts says a lot that we are heading in the right direction," Anderson said.

At the request of teachers in the community, city Councilman Mike Martinez spoke to the board, asking trustees to support three-year contracts.

"Treating the heart of your workforce fairly really does create better outcomes for all," Martinez said.

AISD teacher James Fulbright said teachers have taken on more responsibilities as tests and definitions of academic success have changed.

He said he works with some students who are not as successful as they should be because they do not have self-confidence.

"I need to walk into that classroom and inspire them; I need to walk into that classroom and raise them up. I don't need to walk into that classroom worrying about whether or not I'm going to make my car payment or I'm going to have a job next year," he said.

Brooke Elementary teacher Traci Dunlap said in the 26 years she has been teaching, her salary has "barely kept up" with the cost of living.

"While my pay has remained stagnant, more and more has been required of me in the classroom," she said.

One speaker, Metz Elementary School teacher Caroline Sweet, said her mother worked as an AISD teacher for 35 years.

"She commuted from Georgetown to Austin, passing three other school districts along the way. She could have left AISD, but she didn't," Sweet said, asking trustees if they valued her commitment.

Fiscal responsibility should be a priority for the district, said Kimberly Reeves, speaking on behalf of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.

"I wish this was an argument about the value of our teachers. It's not," she said. "We are in a difficult financial situation that has not turned itself around. We as a chamber have supported tax increases for teacher pay raises, but we came into this year [with] a $33 million [deficit], and that's not going away."

Torres said the action to approve 3-year contracts will not serve the district well if the board tries to hold a TRE next year.

Next steps

District staff will begin preparing three-year contracts for the 2014-15 school year, and the board is scheduled to approve contracts April 28.

More than 5,900 total professional employees—including teachers, librarians and administrators—will be affected by this decision, according to the district. First-, second- and third-year teachers are not eligible for three-year contracts. The change will not affect classified employees, Carstarphen said.