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Education
School board approves flexible attendance program for students in need
Some students need to work in order to support the rest of the family. It can be a reality of life. That may be just one example, but attendance standards at school can be difficult to meet for a variety of reasons as well. The school district wants to make sure that no student is left behind, particularly those that are close to dropping out, which can occur for various reasons that are out of the students control. The San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees approved the Optional Flexible School Day Program for the 2024-2025 school year...
SMHS dedicates career and tech building in honor of former teacher
San Marcos CISD dedicated the San Marcos High School Career and Technology building after William A. Wyatt Jr. Wyatt was a teacher at San Marcos High School from 1955 to 1971. The dedication was actually more of a rededication, as the vocational building at the previous high school had been named after Wyatt in 1999. Wyatt was born and raised in San Marcos, having attended both the San Marcos Baptist Academy and Southwest Texas State University. Before he became a teacher, he was in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was a decorated B-17 pilot having flown 30 combat missions and 28...
Dripping Springs ISD approves 1% pay increase for staf
DRIPPING SPRINGS — All Dripping Springs ISD employees will soon see a 1% pay increase. The DSISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved a 1% general pay increase at its May 20 meeting for current teaching, auxiliary, clerical/technical and administrative/professional staff to take effect on July 1. The district believes that the pay increase is necessary to retain the current staff, while also remaining competitive with other school districts in the area. “We are super excited for our pay increase for this year. We are going to be able to do a 1% for all of our pay grades across the board. It is about a $700,000 budget impact, but we will be able to get that increase to all current employees going into the 2024-25 school year,” said DSISD Chief Human Resources Officer Linda Hall. The general pay increase details are listed below: • A 1% increase for the Teacher Pay Scale (based on the midpoint of the Teacher Pay Scale – Year 15) • A 1% increase for returning auxiliary staff (based on the respective pay grade midpoint per employee) • A 1% increase for returning clerical/technical staff (based on the respective pay grade midpoint per employee) • A 1% increase for returning administrative/professional staff (based on the respective pay grade midpoint per employee) Last year, the DSISD Board of Trustees approved a 3% pay increase for teachers in the 2023-24 Compensation Plan. However, during the budget assumptions that were approved in February 2024, the original recommendation to do another 3% pay increase for the 2024-25 school year was changed to 1% due to no additional funding for school districts, lower student growth and inflationary impacts, as previously stated by chief financial officer Gina Mitschke. “I applaud the administration for finding a way in a difficult budget forecast for next year to continue to move the needle on compensation increase for our staff … I think the sentiment of this board is 1% moves the needle, but it doesn’t move it as much as we want to move the needle,” said trustee Rob McClelland. “This is not the end of our continued efforts to continue to increase compensation for our staff. We know we have more work to do, but at the same time, a lot of that is based on two key constraints and that is the student allotment being where it is and millions, millions and millions of dollars leaving our district to go back to the state of Texas.” McClelland said that he hopes that the school district will be able to do even more in terms of compensation increases for staff next year. Trustee Kim Cousins also thanked the district’s administration for the long hours it took to bring forward the pay increase recommendations. She also said that she hopes within the next school year, the district can focus on raising the attendance numbers. “Just getting the attendance up like 1% across the board, how much more funding that would bring in and maybe down the road, have the opportunity to put that into teacher salary,” she said. “I just hope we all work hard together next year in getting our community to understand how much that daily attendance counts towards the funding that is in our control … Hopefully, that will get up and we can just put more in there.” The board also unanimously approved the 2024-25 Compensation Plan. This included the possibility for the board to, at a later time, do a one-time lump sum payment, increase starting teacher pay at $55,500, add a $1,500 hard-to-fill stipends for special service positions and maintain pay grades across the board, including the $3 dollar differential for special education aids that the board approved last November. The district is going to continue the $16 per hour for custodial staff, $18 for child nutrition specialists, $19 for special education bus monitors and $30 for bus drivers, according to Hall. “We will be able to continue to use those very competitive pay raises to continue to recruit and fill those vacancies in those areas,” Hall said. Additionally, Hall explained that the district will utilize the Career & Technical Education (CTE) funds to add a Coordinator of CTE position that will work with Dr. Karen Kidd, assistant superintendent of learning & innovation, at the high school and middle schools to maximize the funding for CTE and continue to build and support the programs. To listen to the full meeting, visit www.dsisdtx.new.swagit.com/videos/305770 .
'Child care deserts' increasing across much of Texas, new study reveals
AUSTIN, Texas — A new study has revealed the availability of subsidized child care has decreased in Austin. On Thursday, the nonprofit organization Children at Risk hosted a virtual press conference discussing the state of child care providers across Texas. The group collected data from September 2022 through October...
'You're an amazing class': Rosedale School, serving AISD's high-needs students, graduates 12
Teachers and parents teared up in the cafeteria of Rosedale School on Wednesday as 12 students graduated. Many of the students had been with the school, which serves Austin district students with significant disabilities, for years or worked with the same staff members since they were small children. As the...
Austin Area High School Sports Awards: Meet the boys, girls track and field nominees
The Austin Area High School Sports Awards, presented by Thomas J. Henry Law, is proud to announce the nominees for the Boys and Girls Track and Field Athletes of the Year. The winners will be announced during the live show to take place on June 12 at The Long Center: Dell Hall in Austin.
Ranger College Nursing Graduates Achieve Perfect Pass Rates, Elevating Local Healthcare Standards
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‘A huge milestone’: Austin ISD students celebrate modernization of Sadler Means Young Women’s Leadership Academy
Bertha Sadler Means Young Women's Leadership Academy students ceremoniously dig into dirt at a groundbreaking ceremony for a full transformation of the all-girl's middle school May 21. (Elle Bent/Community Impact) The Bertha Sadler Means Young Women’s Leadership Academy community celebrated the groundbreaking of a full campus modernization May 21.
New superintendents need ‘a fighting chance for success’
Among the superintendents of 78 of the nation’s urban school districts, just 11 have been in their jobs since 2020. That statistic startled Michael Hinojosa, a former leader of the Dallas Independent School District who is now superintendent-in-residence at the Council for the Great City Schools, a coalition representing those 78 districts.
Wimberley High School seniors graduate
L3 ballons were placed at the ceremony in honor of former classmate Logan Overall and the slogan "Love Like Logan" that has become his legacy. (PHOTO COURTESY OF WIMBERLEY ISD) Wimberley High School graduating senior Maya Jones with her "Look Mom I Can Fly" hat message. (PHOTO COURTESY OF WIMBERLEY ISD) Wimberley High School graduating senior Lucas Brookshier proudly shows off his recently received diploma. (PHOTO COURTESY OF WIMBERLEY ISD) Wimberley High School graduating senior Maya Jones hugs her mom, trustee Lexi Jones, after receiving her diploma. (PHOTO COURTESY OF WIMBERLEY ISD)
Local Culinary Talent Shines: ACC Student Madelyn Crafts 70s-Inspired Wedding Cake
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