Teachers in another local school district face hundreds of job cuts. Unlike many districts, the Leander Independent School District has the luxury of waiting until August before it has to finalize a budget.
However, because teachers have to be notified 45 days before the end of school whether their contracts will be renewed, and because the state budget isn't final, Leander is forced to decide which jobs to cut to make up for an estimated $29 million shortfall.
Before sharing the numbers, Leander ISD Superintendent, Bret Champion, shared his emotions with those parents attending Tuesday night's school board meeting.
"It is a heartbreaking day for Leander ISD," said Champion. "When I just sat across the table from 125 teachers and had to explain to them why their contracts were not being renewed. It was an emotion unlike that has ever been felt in this school district before."
Champion says because personnel makes up 86 percent of the district's costs, cuts in personnel are inevitable. Right now, the district plans to cut 141 central office and non-classroom employees, as well as 109 teaching positions. In addition, 213 probationary first year teachers would not have their contracts renewed.
Tuesday night, some parents took exception to cutting first year teachers, saying productivity, rather than seniority, should matter most when determining who stays and who goes.
"I'm opposed to just telling a first teacher goodbye," said Clarence Brown, the parent of a Leander ISD student. "If you need a ten percent cut, you take the bottom ten percent of the performers. We want excellence. We don't want people just because they've been here long."
Delaying the opening of two new campuses next year is another option district leaders are considering. But parents we spoke to hope there's a way to cut the budget without cutting teachers.
"There is not enough teachers for the kids that we have now, so they are going to take away more, and they are going to suffer for it," said Heather Farmer, the parent of a Leander ISD student.
Leander ISD does have a fund balance for emergencies, but does not plan to use that to cover this shortfall. Superintendent Champion has volunteered to give up $20,000 of his own pay and benefits. That includes his car and cell phone allowance. He says it is only fair.
