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SA teacher's union worried over district's plans to cut more teacher positions than usual

One SAISD teacher who wished to remain anonymous said educators have noticed a trend of which positions are being cut.

SAN ANTONIO — Frustrations are building for San Antonio ISD staff and faculty whose jobs remain in limbo for the next school year. 

The San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel Local 67 confirmed in February that faculty from several high schools across the district were informed internally their positions were going to be cut. 

"What's happening right now is something that happens every single year and that is the allocation process where the district looks at projected student enrollment and then turns to the campus and says, 'OK, campus, you're going to have four English positions, four social studies positions, etc,'" said Alejandra Lopez, president of the union. "What we're concerned about is that this year we're seeing such high levels of allocations being cut."

Despite the high number of positions on the chopping block, Lopez clarified it's possible that not all of the positions being cut are filled at this point in time. 

"We’re still seeing many, many teachers and support staff people throughout the district who have now been considered displaced, meaning they are do not have a position at their campus  for the '24-25 school year," she said. 

The union has met with the district regarding the displacements. 

"They did explain that there were several factors at play, including a decline in student enrollment and then, of course, the loss of the COVID-19 federal relief money," Lopez said. "That, coupled with the fact that the state Legislature did not pass any legislation that increased funding for public schools in Texas this year." 

One SAISD teacher who wished to remain anonymous, however, explained instructors have noticed a trend of which positions are being cut. 

"We started to see a pretty distressing trend of allocations that are being cut, specifically for fine arts and electives especially," the teacher said.

Lopez could not confirm the teacher's claims, but she said she hopes the district remains transparent throughout the process. 

"It's the district's responsibility to be very forward and transparent in what decisions are being made, how they're being made and the impact that they're having," she said. "We will continue to advocate for the district to be transparent not just with staff, but also with students and families, because our concern at the moment is that parents don't necessarily know the impact that this is going to have at the campuses for the '24-25 school year."

KENS 5 has reached out to SAISD regarding an update on the process. They previously released this statement for a different story:

"Each year we review our school staffing, comparing it to the expected student enrollment and campus needs, to determine the appropriate number of personnel needed in the coming year. This annual analysis is a standard part of our budgeting process, as it is in districts across the state. We will be working closely with all staff who may be impacted to find other positions in the district, and this includes placement in positions available as a result of natural turnover. Staff, principals, and campus advisory committees will be informed and supported throughout the process.

"This annual staffing procedure identifies where positions are needed for the following school year, allowing us to shift employees to the campuses where they are needed most and to allow principals to align their personnel to their community’s needs. The district uses uniform guidelines for the allocation of instructional, administrative, and clerical positions so that student needs are met.

"In addition, it’s important to note that some of these positions were funded through federal relief dollars all school districts received during the pandemic. In SAISD, we received approximately $100 million annually for the past three years. This funding was used to support schools in response to the challenges they faced as they responded to COVID. In these cases, it was made clear from the outset that these roles were grant-funded for only three years.”

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