EDUCATION BRIEFS
News from Dripping Springs & Austin ISDs
Dripping Springs ISD to purchase 8 newschool buses due to growth
PAY HIKE Dripping Springs ISD is increasing pay for many staffers.
$2 PER HOUR INCREASE night shift custodians, split shift bus drivers and split shift bus aides $20 PER DAY INCREASE For substitutes
$30 PER DAY For elementary teachers who receive additional students $30 PER EXTRA CLASS Secondary teachers who substi- tute during conference periods
BY GLORIE MARTINEZ
Filling the fleet Dripping Springs ISD will add addi- tional school buses to replace old buses and address growth. = $125,000
DRIPPING SPRINGS ISD Trustees approved the purchase of eight additional buses in a 6-0 vote at a Jan. 31 Dripping Springs school board meeting in order to account for enrollment growth. DSISD best practice recommends replacing school buses every 12-15 years based on age/mileage and the number of students expected to use district transportation. Two new buses were originally planned to be purchased for the 2022-23. According to a spring 2021 report, DSISD is expected to double its student population by 2028. Each bus will cost DSISD about $125,000 and the total for all eight buses is roughly $1 million, accord- ing to the district.
SOURCE: DRIPPING SPRINGS ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
District to increase pay for some staff
DSISD purchased 8 buses for the 2022-23 school year:
BY GLORIE MARTINEZ
with the biggest shortages in DSISD. The board also increased the daily substitute teacher pay rate by $20. “The market has changed quite a bit this school year, as other districts around us have had sub- stitute shortages,” board Secretary Shannon O’Connor said. Full-time teachers covering other classes will also receive supplemental pay.
DRIPPING SPRINGS ISD The school board made changes to the district’s compensation plan to address a shortage of substitute teachers and auxiliary staff during a Jan. 31 meeting. A $2 addition on the hourly rate was approved for night shift cus- todians, split shift bus drivers and split shift bus aides, the positions
= $1 million
SOURCE: DRIPPING SPRINGS ISD/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Board examines Austin ISD’s low enrollment
L O S I N G S T U D E N T S Austin ISD’s enrollment has been decreasing since 2013, result- ing in reduced state funds for the district.
BY MAGGIE QUINLAN
data presented by Alejandro Delgado, executive director of student enrollment in the district. State funding for the district is based on enrollment. That money continues to decline at the same time as state recapture—locally collected tax revenue from school districts with high property values—continues to increase, Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said. “I think the system was
designed with the right intent,” Elizalde said. “But like many things in actual practice, it’s not creating the outcomes it was intended to.” Delgado said the enroll- ment issues stems from a low birth rate in the area, a lack of families enrolling in the district and students moving to charter schools. He said other metropolitan districts, including those in Houston and Dallas, are facing the same issue.
AUSTIN ISD As low enroll- ment continues to cause funding and other issues, district staff presented new data to the Austin ISD board of trustees Jan. 27 to address reasons behind the trend. Though the city’s pop- students enrolled each year. Enrollment has dropped by more than 8,000 students since 2013, according to ulation has grown, the district is seeing fewer
1,219
2014-15 2013-14 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20
823
921
504
1,420
1,559
5,062
0
1,000
3,000 Students lost year-over-year 2,000
4,000
5,000
SOURCE: AUSTIN ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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