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You should also know that I believe these kinds of decisions should be made in partnership with campus leadership by looking at the whole picture and not just a piece of it. In fact, the first thing we did in my first year was to either cut or absorb several central office positions.
Since then, we’ve spent almost a full year working directly with our campus principals to create a plan that emphasizes student achievement first, while recognizing local and statewide financial constraints.
First and foremost—no elementary programs in Highland Park ISD are being cut, but they will look different.
This week, our principals shared that we are departmentalizing our 4th grade teams at our elementary schools for the upcoming school year. This means our teachers will have a stronger content focus, while preparing students for 5th-grade. There won’t be a science lab rotation teacher, but our teachers at all grade levels will utilize our science labs on a regular basis. Last year, the state also released new science standards and this model ensures that we are able to meet these more rigorous expectations.
Simultaneously, we’re making adjustments to our Elementary Spanish program. We won’t have a dedicated Spanish teacher at every campus, but we will have Spanish teachers serving our elementary students on a rotation from campus to campus.
There won’t be a Campus Instructional Technologist (CIT) on every elementary campus, but all schools will receive district support. Several of our campuses currently share a CIT.
We realize that staffing adjustments are rarely ideal, but unlike other school districts that are faced with ugly decisions—like closing schools, cutting programs, and cutting staff—these unpleasant, but necessary adjustments ensure that we still have Science, and we still have Spanish at all of our elementary schools. Most importantly—no HPISD teacher will lose a job.
Rather than waiting until the summer, we’re also making these decisions early enough to make sure we find the right place for all of our valued employees. In the short term, we’ll continue to look for staffing adjustments—rather than cuts—at the secondary level to ensure we are staffed efficiently based on the state funding formulas and our student enrollment.
In the meantime, I encourage you to stay informed about school finances in Texas. You can view the HPISD legislative priorities and find the contact information to our local legislators by clicking here.
Despite our preexisting staffing inefficiencies and the unknown funding from the state—there are many ongoing strategies and initiatives in place to support our teachers and staff in HPISD. These include campaigns and donations from our PTAs & PTOS, Dads Clubs, the HPEF and Bond 2024. However, to maximize this incredible support from our community, we must first be good stewards of your tax dollars. Truly, we are being proactive now, to ensure that we are not reactive in a much more negative way down the road.
As always, we appreciate your partnership and your support.
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