Fort Bend ISD Eliminates 483 Positions

Fort Bend ISD trustees voted last night to lay off 70 teachers, on top of the over 400 positions that have already been eliminated through the early retire/resign incentive program, as well as vacant positions that will not be filled. The school district cut 470 positions last year in order to balance their budget, and eventually hired 50% of those teachers back. Superintendent Tim Jenney warns teachers that this time hire backs are less likely, with the more likely scenario being more job cuts (see his email to employees below.)

I was startled to see that FBISD school board member Laurie Caldwell has been laid off from her teaching position in another district:

FBISD board member Laurie Caldwell said she knows firsthand what all of this feels like. She is a math teacher in a different district who is also being let go because of budget cuts."I know how it feels to get your letter, open it up and know that you don't have a position for next year," Caldwell said. "I know what these teachers feel like and it's very disturbing to be making these decisions."

Caldwell will not be seeking reelection to the Board. I am supporting Dr. Jonita Reynolds in that race. More on that race in a future blog post.

In strange turn of events, it appears some FBISD teachers were told Friday they would be let go, only to be told Monday their jobs were saved:

The award-winning Digital Media Academy at Hightower High School was facing a very bleak time. Last week, 2 of 4 instructors were told they would not be returning for the next school year.
But late Monday afternoon, a campaign of phone calls and emails turned the tide, according to the director of the academy. The teachers had been rehired.

Email from Jenney to employees:

Dear Colleagues, Since the onset of the devastating news that the district will lose millions of dollars of state funding from its budget for the coming school year, I have been providing you with timely updates on our progress in dealing with next year’s budget shortfall. As you know, the Board passed an early resignation incentive on March 7th as a means of encouraging our employees who were planning to leave the district to submit their paperwork early. Over the last several weeks, we have been monitoring the incentive; and at the Board’s meeting on March 28th, the early resignation incentive was expanded as a means of minimizing, as much as possible, the need to institute a Reduction in Force (RIF). To date, the district has received 316 resignations. At a specially called Board meeting this evening, we will propose broadening the incentive yet again. While the district would prefer not to lose any employees or their positions, it has been bittersweet because even though the number of positions needing to be reduced is much lower than it would have been without the incentive, it is still necessary to reduce positions. Sadly, approximately 107 of our colleagues on Chapter 21 contracts will have their positions eliminated tonight. It is important to know that the district’s goal is to be able to offer the opportunity to return to work in the district as many people as possible who have been affected by the Reduction in Force. However and unfortunately, the budget reduction is likely to be much deeper than ever before, and the probability of being able to reinstate as many “Reduced” employees as last year is unpredictable. Nevertheless, we must be responsive to the financial situation placed upon us and meet the challenges we are facing. Ironically, despite the outcry from districts across the state, the State House of Representatives voted last night to reduce education by approximately $10 billion—which is our worst case nightmare—a $74 million funding reduction. We have a long way to go before our budget work is finished, and most of it depends on the final budget cut number coming out of the Legislature. I am so sorry for the devastating effects these actions will have on you personally, your school, our community and most of all, on our students. I wish things could be different. This district stands to lose many of its best and brightest educators, and please know we will continue to do everything we can to change the stance the state Legislature has taken with regard to public education funding. Sincerely, Tim Jenney