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The School of Science and Technology is the latest San Antonio school system to announce job cuts as federal COVID-19 funds run dry and attendance suffers.
The cuts affect 40 teacher aide positions across eight campuses in the San Antonio region. Classrooms for pre-K, kindergarten and special education students as well as physical education classes will retain their teacher aides, according to the charter school.
The reductions were the result of those funds expiring and the lack of increased education funding from the state, according to the charter’s spokeswoman Anna Ruiz.
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“The State of Texas has not allocated increased funding to all public schools for the 2024-2026 Biennial Budget,” Ruiz said. “This has resulted in significant cuts, which will unfortunately continue into the next school year as we won’t have access to ESSER Covid Funds.”
Work is still ongoing to finalize the school’s budget for the next year.
The school, which serves about 10,000 students across eight campuses concentrated mostly in North San Antonio with two campuses near Schertz and one in South San Antonio, is working to transfer affected employees to its before- and after-school programs and other available non-exempt positions.
The charter network also has schools in Corpus Christi and Houston. Ruiz’s statement did not share details about possible cuts at those schools.
Parents, hearing about the cuts through social media, shared concerns on Facebook about whether the cuts would mean overly packed classrooms without adequate staffing.
Despite the cuts, the charter network maintains a highly skilled staff, including 113 teachers that are part of the state’s Teacher Incentive Allotment program, which provides district’s and charter operators with extra funding for top-performing teachers based on student growth and classroom observation.Â
According to the district, that means that one-third of core class teachers have earned the distinction.
Districts across the region are facing tough financial decisions as they finalize budgets for the next school year. The South San Antonio Independent School District’s board of trustees authorized the superintendent of that district to lay off employees if necessary earlier this year.
Hundreds of positions were eliminated from the San Antonio Independent School District due to the expiration of ESSER as well.
SAISD Superintendent Jaime Aquino has stressed the need for more funding from the state in budget conversations in his district.
On Monday, the School of Science and Technology echoed that sentiment.
“We hope that this issue brings to light the importance of state funding for all students in the public school system,” Ruiz’s statement said. “It is important that we have parents, teachers, and staff to continue to advocate for public education.”Â
Isaac Windes is an award-winning reporter who has been covering education in Texas since 2019, starting at the Beaumont Enterprise and later at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. A graduate of the Walter Cronkite… More by Isaac Windes
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