Thank you for your hard work this week getting ready to welcome students back on Monday!👩â€ðŸ« We started the summer with more than 1,000 teacher vacancies, an all-time high. A week ago, that number was 495. As of Friday afternoon, that’s down to 249, and we are onboarding enough to bring us to 95% fully staffed. Know someone who wants to help out and be a sub? Click here.Let’s get to it… |
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Staff Weekly |
By Jason Stanford â— Aug 12, 2022
Smart Brevity® count: 4.5 mins... 1185 words
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Thank you for your hard work this week getting ready to welcome students back on Monday!
👩â€ðŸ« We started the summer with more than 1,000 teacher vacancies, an all-time high. A week ago, that number was 495. As of Friday afternoon, that’s down to 249, and we are onboarding enough to bring us to 95% fully staffed. Know someone who wants to help out and be a sub? Click here.
Let’s get to it…
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1 big thing: Trustees unanimously approve 2022 Bond Package
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After an 11-month-long, community-driven process centered on equity, the board of trustees approved a $2.44 billion bond that voters will see on the ballot in November.
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Security Upgrades at every ¹û¶³´«Ã½app ISD school include secure-entry vestibules, fencing, new door locks and lock repairs, and changes to open-concept schools.
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Districtwide improvements include $248.2 million for maintenance of building systems, including HVAC, plumbing and roof repairsÂ
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Every high school gets upgraded athletic facilities, including competition fields
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Every bus without AC will be replaced
Financial impact: We’re paying millions of dollars in repairs out of the same budget we pay staff with. The more things we can fix with a bond, the more money we have available to raise salaries for teachers, librarians, bus drivers, and more.
25 aging facilities would get what are called either “full or phased modernizations,†including eight high schools ($759.8 million), five middle schools ($417.6 million), and 12 elementary schools ($544.7 million).
By the numbers: The proposed bond package is projected to raise the debt service of the ¹û¶³´«Ã½app ISD tax rate by 1 cent per $100 in value. Property owners would still pay 5.5 cents less per $100 in value than last year in school taxes if voters approve this package.
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Unlike maintenance and operations tax revenue, bond dollars are not subject to recapture by the state, so every cent of every dollar raised would be available for investment in ¹û¶³´«Ã½app ISD schools and facilities.
Go deeper: For more information on the 2022 Bond Proposal visit,
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2. What we’re doing to keep schools safe
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At Saturday’s Back-to-School BASH, district leaders briefed the community on safety measures they’re taking with students returning to campuses on Monday.
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Kids need to be dropped off and picked up at the school door, and teachers will walk their kids to class.
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During the summer, ¹û¶³´«Ã½app ISD has been completing the installation bullet-resistant glass and film at entryways and using 2017 bond funds to replace security systems, including security cameras.
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Each campus is conducting a security audit to test every door and holding security briefings for campus staff.
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In July, the district hired Wayne Sneed as the district’s new police chief.
Why it matters: Safety is always the top priority, and after Uvalde, it’s the top-of-mind concern for most parents.
Level set: AISD PD investigates every online threat and encourages you to call 512-414-1703 if you have a concern or submit an anonymous tip online.
What they're saying: "Our campuses have professional school counselors who are being trained and are ready to accept each and every student to connect with them," said Dr. Twyla Williams, director of counseling crisis and mental health. "We want to see if there are any early warning signs and, more importantly, we want to ensure our students feel safe when they walk through the door."Â
Get involved: The Safety and Security Committee met this Friday. Find out what it does and how to apply to be a member here.
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3. Join the Long-Range Planning Committees
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¹û¶³´«Ã½app ISD is recruiting volunteers to fill vacancies on the Long-range Planning Committees.Â
What to expect: Members will meet at least twice a month throughout the fall to develop operational strategies that are not dependent on bond funding.
The big picture: The LRP is more than pre-bond planning—it’s a comprehensive assessment of the educational experience to ensure we’re creating the conditions for all students to thrive in our education system.Â
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That means assessing policies and practices that may be producing inequitable outcomes in each of the seven planning categories: Academics & Career and Technical Education, Athletics, Visual & Performing Arts, Facilities, Safety, Security & Resiliency, Transportation, Food Service & Maintenance and Technology.
How we got here: When the committees began meeting last fall, the intent was to complete the draft plan by June 2022.Â
Now that the 2022 Bond package is adopted, it's time to pick up where we left off.
What’s next: Fill out the by Sunday, Aug. 28.
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4. ¹û¶³´«Ã½app ISD 2021 Graduation Rates Up
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By Paul StinsonÂ
¹û¶³´«Ã½app ISD’s federal graduation rates for all students edged higher for the Class of 2021—to 93.0%—and also showed a narrowing of the achievement gap between the graduation levels of African-American and Hispanic students relative to white students.Â
What they’re saying: "It's great that graduation rates are still rising -- it's even better that the gaps between African-American and Hispanic and white students are closing," said Interim Superintendent Anthony Mays. "This is showing progress in our focus on closing our gaps."Â
Why it matters:Â The new data equals a historic-low in the achievement gap between the graduation rates of African American students relative to white students, with that disparity falling to 4.3% in 2021.
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The gap between Hispanic and white graduates also shrank, narrowing from 2020 levels of 4.8% to 4.4% in 2021, marking the tenth time in 12 years that gap has narrowed after 2009 data showed a disparity of 21.4 percentage points.Â
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📺 of the interim superintendent’s show, Ask Dr. Mays Anything.
😲 “'I’m pretty speechless': ¹û¶³´«Ã½app ISD school board unanimously approves equity-focused bond†()
📖 ¹û¶³´«Ã½app third graders recover on reading, besting pre-pandemic scores. (¹û¶³´«Ã½app ISD)
📺 Campbell Elementary students grilled ¹û¶³´«Ã½app ISD leaders on the bond. ()
🎠“Q&A: Incoming ¹û¶³´«Ã½app ISD interim superintendent Anthony Mays discusses priorities, issues facing district.†()
🩸 “Getting your period at school is the worst. ¹û¶³´«Ã½app ISD is trying to make it better.†()
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📖 Jason is enjoying Crossed Over: A Murder, A Memoir, by his friend Beverly Lowry and is looking forward to reading her new book, Deer Creek Drive: A Reckoning of Memory and Murder in the Mississippi Delta.
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