They’ll be stocking up on No-Doz tonight at the San Antonio ISD Board of Education meeting, as several teachers and teacher groups plan to speak out against that controversial proposal to lay off as many as sixty teachers, as well as support and Central Office personnel, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
The SAISD board is set to discuss ‘the Specific Employment Areas Affected by the Reduction in Force pursuant to Board Policy’ and ‘Declare the Specific Teaching Fields affected by the Necessary Reduction in Personnel.’
The district has pointed to declining enrollment, especially at inner city schools, which is leading to a projected $31 million cut in state aid to education in the coming school year.
But the Reduction in Force has, understandably, hit teachers hard, with many expressing outrage that teachers, the central pillar of public education, are being cut at a time when the SAISD is considering privatizing a school, and when the district has stacks of highly paid coaches and administrators.
“Its such a disrespect, not just to the sixty teachers who will lose their jobs, but to every teacher in the district,” said Nancy Jeffrey, who taughter at Carvajal Elementary School for 38 years. “How do they feel today?”
Several teachers told News Radio 1200 WOAI that if the SAISD has financial problems, maybe a good place to start cutting is with superintendent Pedro Martinez’ $280,000 salary.