Quarter of Leander ISD teachers ready to leave the classroom

Leander ISD started the summer with 95 teacher vacancies and 80 when the year began.

It's an even more dire situation when it comes to substitute teachers. Fully 425 positions were filled over the summer out of the district's goal of filling 750 of them.

The vacancies would have been more severe were it not for a 5% pay raise for teachers. An estimated 600-700 teachers held off on signing their contracts ahead of the 2022-23 school year. These raises, according to outgoing Trustee Aaron Johnson, were paid for by money the district did not have.

So what's the blame for this lack of enthusiasm in what once was the best school district in the Austin area?

Is it lingering COVID-19 related issues?
Inflation and economic stresses?
Depression from both of the above?
Competition from other industries?

It would appear dissatisfaction with the way school districts are being managed and general disrespect are the major culprits. Rather than leading a better way forward, the current crop of Leander ISD Trustees are busy kowtowing to the state, national, and even global public education establishment.

An August survey conducted by the Texas State Teachers Association and Sam Houston State University projected that 70% of teachers said they were considering leaving the profession -- the highest in 40 years of such surveys, and a 17% jump since 2018 when just over half were dissatisfied.

In the past school year, roughly 12% of teachers quit statewide, the highest level recorded in 14 years.

While all the blame cannot be placed at the feet of district trustees and superintendents, it is incumbent upon local leadership to stand up to this trend that is causing teachers to leave the classrooms in droves.

Out of 2,918 teachers in the LISD, a 3% vacancy rate is far below the 11% statewide figure of teachers who are hanging it up. But if all 700 of the teachers who were holding off on signing their contracts with LISD had left, that would have amounted to a whopping 24% of LISD teachers.

Translation: Nearly a quarter of teachers are ready to leave the Leander ISD.

Teachers tell us morale is at an all-time low. While the district hems and haws over teacher raises (relying on a bond election rather than forward-thinking, strategic planning) the LISD hires a Diversity Equity and Inclusion officer on a six-figure salary.

In terms of discipline, LISD follows the "conventional wisdom" of catering to the worst-behaving students -- going as far as to have teachers empty the classroom while a student throwing a temper tantrum calms down. There is a lack of consistency when it comes to everything from dress code to efforts to combat "bullying." Students that need the guidance the most lack structure and clear expectations.

What is being done to calm down the badly behaving students? Although the public school environment is supposed to be non-sectarian, Zen Buddhism-inspired "mindfulness" exercises are being promoted in teacher trainings while "the Christian church" is labeled as an underlying cause of white supremacy. This is surely having a negative effect on teachers with a Judeo-Christian orientation.

“Teaching to the test” continues as the order of the day, as academic rigor is sacrificed in order to boost scores. Yet scores continue to lag. Add this to the list of weighty matters bogging down teacher morale.

Again, these may be mostly due to trends that are indicative of the statewide and even national scene of public education. But what are we doing to fight against those trends? Our Trustees can take a stand for teacher control over their classrooms, religious liberty, and keeping the focus on the basics of learning. As one of the fastest-growing districts in Texas, we can shape the future of public schooling in Texas rather than cave in to finnicky trends.

Leander ISD voters have the opportunity starting Oct. 24 to throw out the current roster of go-along-to-get-along Trustees and start over with a clean slate and some forward-thinking elected representatives who will prioritize the needs of our over-worked and under-valued teachers. We need Trustees who will listen to teachers again. Take action and vote.