At Austin ISD's all-staff convocation Aug. 21, Superintendent Meria Carstarphen spoke about priorities and professional development issues for the 2013–14 school year.
In her message to the district, Carstarphen highlighted the district's goals including cultivating "the whole child," shifting away from a culture based around high-stakes testing and instead building a college-ready culture. She also stressed the importance of offering a rich portfolio of education options and investing in its staff.
"We know that we have big work that we do day in and day out," she said after the convocation. "But every year is a little different because of what happens in the Legislature or the budget realities. Something always comes into play that changes our context a little bit, and that leads us to a very specific focus for that particular school year."
For 2013–14, Carstarphen said that focus will be split into key segments: dealing with state budget reductions, developing the district's facility master plan, implementing May 2013 bond projects, increasing AISD's focus on literacy and providing competitive compensation for staff. The district plans to maintain the one-time salary adjustment from the 2012–13 school year that is equivalent to a 3 percent pay increase for staff as part of its proposed fiscal year 2014 budget and add another 1.5 percent increase to that, she said.
