News

The purpose of this E-Mail is to share with you the results of the EPAFT Trajectory Survey. 

This snippet in The Supe’s bio caught my eye, “she has El Paso ISD on an upward trajectory…”.   That does not jive with the employee exodus or discussions with members. 

So EPAFT ran a spot survey to gauge member agreement or disagreement.

Short Version:  The Supe or her biographer need to ‘put a little distance between fact and fantasy’, as the late great Jimmy Buffet would say.

Longer Version:

Strongly Agree – 1.63%; Agree - 0.54%; No Opinion – 4.35%;

Disagree – 38.04%

The purpose of this E-Mail is to share with you today’s EPISD Tuesday Teacher Tracker. 

1.  The below are the number of empty positions being advertised by EPISD HR as of 7:00 AM January 23^rd, 2024. 

2.  Posted Teacher Openings:

            a.  Elementary (pK-5) – 111 Posted Openings, down 2 from 1.16.

            b.  Middle School (6-8) – 23 Posted Openings, down 2 from 1.16.

            c.  High School (9-12) – 22 Posted Openings, down 4 from 1.16.

            d.  Total – 162 Posted Openings, down 6 from 1.16.

            e.  Putting that in perspective, last year at this time

The purpose of this E-Mail is to share with you Monday Bits and Pieces.  These are the information items of interest or alerts of importance.

1.  The EPISD January Board Meetings are scheduled for Thursday, January 25^th. 

The first meeting is at 2:00 PM and is a “Special Board Meeting” where the Superintendent’s contract and compensation package will be amended.  The rumblings are that it will be 10% to 15% raise plus perks.

The second meeting begins at 5:00 PM and is the “Regular Board Meeting”.  The agenda is very light on substance until you dig to the second and third levels and read

Two Year Temperature Check Question Eight Responses

Q8. If you could change one thing about EPISD what would it be? (150 character limit)

Below are some of the notable responses about changes other than the many of those about compensation.

· The reliance on unproven programs and initiatives that invariably damage teacher morale and student achievement.

· Follow your own policies.

· Meaningful lessons that are teacher created.

· Hire teachers instead of all the subs.

· Do what needs to be done so people would want to teach here instead of leave.

· The cronyism.

· SPED caseloads

Below are responses to Question Two which focused on initial expectations.  They were provided to the EPISD Superintendent Friday, before the E-mail went to members.  Her response - crickets

Q2 How have your initial expectations for the Superintendent compared to the reality of where the district is now? (150 character limit)

Below are some of the notable responses other than the many of those about compensation.

•    I wanted to believe her when she said she was listening to teachers and students regarding what they needed to be successful. It was a lie. 

•    I thought that as a former

The purpose of this E-Mail is to share with you today’s EPISD Tuesday Teacher Tracker. 

1.  The below are the number of empty positions being advertised by EPISD HR as of 7:00 AM January 16^th, 2024. 

2.  Posted Teacher Openings:

            a.  Elementary (pK-5) – 113 Posted Openings, down 4 from 1.9.

            b.  Middle School (6-8) – 25 Posted Openings, down 1 from 1.9.

            c.  High School (9-12) – 24 Posted Openings, up 4 from 1.9.

            d.  Total – 162 Posted Openings, down 3 from 1.9.

            e.  Putting that in perspective, last year at this time, there were

In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest New York Times  column, she describes what it is exactly that unions do. Though unions are the most popular they have been in decades, anti-union sentiment still thrives in red states and across the nation. “Several years ago, The Atlantic ran a story whose headline made even me, a labor leader, scratch my head: ‘Union Membership: Very Sexy,’” Weingarten writes in the column. “The gist was that higher wages, health benefits and job security—all associated with union membership—boost one’s chances of getting married. Belonging to a union doesn’t actually guarantee happily ever after, but it does help working people have a better life in the here and now.” Click through to read the full column.