Frustration, anger simmer during heated APS Board meeting Monday night – Austin Daily Herald

Teachers say they feel ignored by district as some leave for other school systems

In testimonies raw with emotion, Austin Public Schools teachers and staff as well as allies in the community came out Monday night during the APS Board meeting to express their frustration and anger in how they perceive the district is treating its educators.

It’s a frustration that has been building over recent weeks regarding involuntary transfers out of schools to other parts of the district, oftentimes without any input from the staff being shifted, yet at the same time was just the tip of the iceberg. 

Speaker after speaker Monday night took the podium to express confusion, frustration and  anger among other things and urged the school board to take seriously those areas being vented.

“We need accountability, leadership and some change,” said Kyle Nelson, who has two children in the APS school district. “I’ve had enough and we’ve had enough. That’s why we’re here.”

Seating was filled to bursting Monday night, with those in attendance often standing in applause as each point was made.

Much of the criticism surrounded the situation at Banfield Elementary where a number of tenured teachers have been moved from the building, taking valuable experience with them according to some who spoke Monday night.

However, it’s only a part of the picture as some of those who spoke pointed out how teachers are leaving the district after feeling that their opinions haven’t been heard or in some cases, ignored.

Rachel Stange is a science specialist at Banfield Elementary and opened up the delegations portion of Monday night’s meeting with intense personal testimony that included that she has since given her resignation to the district, effective at the end of this year.

“Some teachers, including myself, are resigning,” she said. “We can no longer ignore the conditions that are affecting us and our students.”

She touched on the idea of not feeling like she had been a part of the conversation, but she also spoke to other common concerns in regard to class sizes as well as breaks in discipline and a lowering of classroom performance.

“We have no forum to speak our minds on these crucial issues,” Stange said. “Leadership is completely absent from my classroom. Morale is fading.”

Her story was echoed down the line as teachers and supporters alike spoke out on these complaints.

It was clear to those on the board that there was much to do going forward.

“We have work to do,” Board Chair Carolyn Dube said. “The district is at a point where we need to really focus on working together as one unified team and we need to keep those kids at the forefront of all of our thoughts and all of our decisions and all of the work we’re doing.”

“People have very strong feelings about the changes that are happening and they are valid feelings. One hundred percent valid and we can all work together and we can all find middle ground to make sure our students are getting what they need,” she added. 

Earlier in the meeting, during school board reports, several of the board members spoke to what some are seeing as a crisis in the district. 

Many of the board members touched on a need for a unified front in order to improve the situation, including newer board member Dan Zielke who proposed members take a school and visit it a couple times during the year to get a better handle on what is going on in each building. It is hoped that such a measure might emphasize the needed value placed on teachers and the course of the district.

“True value is not transactional nor does it come from a line item on a budget,” Zielke said. “Accountability equals partnership.”

However, board member Don Leathers spoke more candidly to the point and openly wondered why wording still exists in the contract between the district and teachers that allows administration to shift teachers about the district, something he said has been a feature of the contract for close to 20 years.

“Adminstiration has absolute power to assign staff …” Leathers said. “Why do we still have that language in the contract? I think we can do better and we must do better. Everyone must have a seat at the table and all voices must be listened to for the overall health of the district.”

In the shadow of one teacher’s resignation announced during the meeting, read by her husband, that might be easier said than done. 

Some told stories of teachers who felt threatened by the idea of speaking out and chose to voice their opinions anonymously through other people.

Earlier in the day, prior to Monday night’s meeting, Superintendent Dr. Joey Page sent out a community message that touched on the growing issue in the community.

In the note he further exemplified the district’s goals in laying out a unified vision for Austin Public Schools, touching on things like the Desired Daily Experience and core values. Monday night he said that teachers being moved around is a part of the overall effort to better meet the needs of the students.

He went on to say that Monday’s response by the community is a part of the needed growing conversation that leads to those goals.

“I think people care about education,” Page said. “They are engaged and it’s our responsibility to listen. I think that’s an important part tonight and I’m glad they are a part of the process.”

Still, concerns trickled down to the effects the situation is having on students, a sentiment voiced by Banfield PTAC President Ashley Blilie who emphasized that as teachers leave the district so does experience.

Further, she stressed that students are not just a statistic.

“Our children are not something you run through an assembly line,” she told board members. “Data should be considered with the opinion of teachers who have decades of experience.”