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It’s finally May! 🎓🎉
We’re gearing up for Salute 🏆 on Wednesday, May 10, when we recognize some of our amazing teachers, staff and volunteers for their dedication to excellence and student achievement.
And next week is 🍎 Teacher Appreciation Week!
💵 We’ve got info on lucrative summer teaching opportunities through Austin ISD Student Support Services, as well as a recap of Monday’s press conference calling for more state investments in public education and a profile of three award-winning student journalists. 📝
…and let’s learn what is next for Austin ISD closed and underutilized school sites. 🏫 On May 9 you can join us via Zoom to hear an update on Austin ISD repurposing. Register here: https://bit.ly/3Lcx84c 💻
⏰ Let’s get started, there’s no time to waste!
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Staff Weekly
By Paul Stinson ● May 06, 2023
Smart Brevity® count: 4.5 mins...1241 words
It’s finally May! 🎓🎉
We’re gearing up for Salute 🏆 on Wednesday, May 10, when we recognize some of our amazing teachers, staff and volunteers for their dedication to excellence and student achievement.
And next week is 🍎 Teacher Appreciation Week!
💵 We’ve got info on lucrative summer teaching opportunities through Austin ISD Student Support Services, as well as a recap of Monday’s press conference calling for more state investments in public education and a profile of three award-winning student journalists. 📝
…and let’s learn what is next for Austin ISD closed and underutilized school sites. 🏫 On May 9 you can join us via Zoom to hear an update on Austin ISD repurposing. Register here: https://bit.ly/3Lcx84c 💻
⏰ Let’s get started, there’s no time to waste!
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1 Big Thing: Salute recognizes outstanding Austin ISD educators, volunteers
Get ready for the red carpet, Austin ISD! The district’s annual celebration of the excellence and dedication of our teachers, staff and volunteers is coming up next week. 📸
The Salute Awards will kick off at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10 at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center. Austin ISD and Austin Partners in Education (APIE) will co-host the event, which recognizes winners in several categories including:
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Classified Staff of the Year
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Librarian of the Year
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Counselor of the Year
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Assistant Principal of the Year
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PTA of the Year (Elementary and Secondary)
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Principal of the Year
🥇 Honored: Salute also honors this year’s Teachers of Promise, Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year, as well as Austin Ed Fund Grant Program award recipients, 2023 APIE Champions, APIE Hall of Fame inductees and Austin ISD teachers and staff who completed National Board Certification this year.
Feel the excitement when Interim Superintendent Matias Segura and district leaders surprised the Teacher of the Year finalists in April.
The big picture: With 12,864 staff and teachers, Austin ISD ranks as the fourth largest employer in Austin.
Special thanks: H-E-B is the Valedictorian sponsor for this year’s Salute. 🥩The City of Austin and Bartlett Cocke General Contractors are Salutatorian sponsors.
🔎 Go deeper with the list of Salute nominees for the staff and teacher award categories.
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2. Cold cash for hot summer teaching opportunities 😎 💵
Austin ISD teachers can apply now to teach project-based learning camps and other summer programs.
💵 Two-week programs: All of the summer programs will run the weeks of June 5 and 12, Monday-Thursday for five hours/day.
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Pay will be $34.50/hour for the teaching and training days, plus an opportunity for an additional $500 perfect attendance stipend.
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Wednesday, May 31, and Thursday, June 1, will be paid planning and preparation days.
Applications open until Tuesday, May 9: 💻
Paid training: Teachers will receive paid PBL training over three Saturdays in May, and will have access to PBLWorks curriculum for the entire 2023-24 school year. 📚
Applications open until Tuesday, May 16:
☎ Questions? Please reach out to Wilretta Collins, wilretta.collins@austinisd.org.
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3. Austin ISD, area districts call for state investment in public education💲🏫
On Monday, May 1, Austin ISD joined nine neighboring school districts in a regional news conference to draw attention to the need for more funding for Texas public schools.🏫
💲Why it matters: While there is less than a month left in the Texas legislative session, there is still time for lawmakers to allocate more of the state’s record $32.7 billion surplus to public education.
📈By the numbers: Just like households and businesses, schools are facing drastically rising costs.
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Inflation has risen roughly 17% since 2019, the last time Texas increased school funding.
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Texas lawmakers would need to add $14.5 billion to school funding just to keep up with inflation.
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The school funding currently proposed by both the Texas House and Senate falls short by over $7 billion.
Yes, and… property taxpayers are also in desperate need of relief. The Legislature has the money to provide for both property tax cuts and public education. 💵
That’s what friends are for: The morning press conference, which was held at Del Valle ISD’s Smith Elementary School in southeast Austin, drew representatives from:
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Austin ISD
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Del Valle ISD
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Dripping Springs ISD
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Hutto ISD
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Lake Travis ISD
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Leander ISD
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Manor ISD
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Pflugerville ISD
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Round Rock ISD
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Thrall ISD
📣Go deeper with the recorded livestream of Monday’s press conference and find out who represents you so you can share your views on public education funding.
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4. 🎓Class of 2023: award-winning 🏆student journalists 📝
Natalie Cullen (left), Isabella del Nido (center), and Wes Warmink (right).
🗞Breaking news: Three Bowie High School seniors, all award-winning student journalists, get ready to take their talents to the next level! 🏆
🎓Let's meet these outstanding members of the Class of 2023:
Isabella del Nido, Editor in Chief of The Dispatch Print edition, Bowie’s campus newspaper, has earned multiple awards for her journalism, including a Tops in Texas award- Student Art from the University Interscholastic League/Interscholastic League Press Conference (UIL/ILPC).📰
Natalie Cullen, Editor of The Dispatch Online, was recognized as the Online News Editor of the Year for Texas by the UIL/ILPC.💻
Wes Warmink, Editor of The Lonestar, Bowie’s yearbook, earned the UIL/ILPC award for Texas Yearbook Editor of the Year. 📕
🎓What's next: Isabella, Natalie and Wes are going their separate ways, but they are all ready to apply the dedication that made them stand-out student journalists as they pursue their career goals.
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Isabella will head down IH-35 to attend Texas State University to become a pediatric nurse practitioner. 🩺
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Natalie will head to the Big Apple to attend New York University for a dual degree in television/film and business.📺💼
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Wes will head up IH-35 to the Forty Acres to study journalism at the University of Texas at Austin (UT). 🗞
📣 Go deeper or read award-winning student journalism in The Dispatch.
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5. District moves to hire new vendor for equity assessment
🍎 Austin ISD has discontinued its work with American Institutes for Research (AIR), the vendor that was leading the district’s equity assessment.
Why it matters: Austin ISD is seeking a vendor to make actionable recommendations to change policies and practices that will lead to more equitable student outcomes.
🔎 Catch up quick: In July 2022, the Board of Trustees approved a contract for a vendor to lead the district-wide equity assessment.
🗓 What’s next: The district plans to hire a new vendor by this summer so that the district-wide equity assessment can start in August 2023.
❓ Questions? If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Dr. Stephanie Hawley, Interim Chief Equity Officer, at stephanie.hawley@austinisd.org.
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6. 🎉 Honoring both Asian Pacific American Heritage Month AND Jewish American Heritage Month! 🎊
🍎Austin ISD is absolutely thrilled to recognize and honor the incredible cultural diversity that our students, staff, and communities bring to our school district. 🏫
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Paul is listening 🎧 to Spanish band Migala’s ‘La Increible Aventura’ and cheering for the ⚾ Minnesota Twins.🔅
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