Waco Reporter

The Waco Independent School District has been advised that it needs fewer administrators and more teachers and counselors.

That’s the recommendation of a study from the Texas Association of School Boards. It has provided a report filled with staffing recommendations designed to increase student-staff connections — and saving the district $3.6 million annually.

It advises the district to add 28 elementary school teachers while dropping 12 middle school positions and two high school teachers.

The State of Texas requires 22 students per teacher, according to Zachary Hobbs, TASB’s assistant director of human resources. But other than that, the TASB report is a recommendation, not a mandate.

“Staffing allocation are left up to the district,” he told the Waco Reporter.

The report advises the district to eliminate six assistant principals, two at University High School, one at Waco High School and one at each of the three middle schools while adding assistant principals at Alta Vista and Parkdale elementary schools. It also recommended dropping two professional positions and a specialist.

The report said the district should add 10 counselors, one each at University High School, Tennyson Middle School, Alta Vista Elementary, Cedar Ridge Elementary, Crestview Elementary, J.H. Hines Elementary, Kendrick Elementary, South Waco Elementary, and two at Cesar Chavez Middle School. It can drop one at G.W. Carver Middle School.

The TASB report also calls for adding 19 special education teachers, seven special education aides, six librarians or equivalent positions and an additional human resources director.

Hobbs said the agency provides this service to all Texas public schools if they request it. There is a fee based on enrollment, but he did not disclose what Waco paid for study.

“We conduct multiple staffing reviews each year. Waco ISD contacted TASB for this service,” Hobbs said. “The analysis is based on benchmarks for each job category. The staffing options provided are based on variances from the benchmark levels. The report is designed to provide data and information to district administration to assist with staffing allocations in the future.”

The report uses numerous data.

“We use the following," Hobbs said. "(There is) staffing data provided by the district and PEIMS data available from the Texas Education Agency for comparison to peer districts. (Also) staffing data collected as part of the TASB HR Services annual salary survey of Texas public schools. Guidance and standards from associations such as the Texas Counseling Association, Texas Association of Secondary School Principals and Association of Physical Plant Administrators.”

Josh Wucher, the Waco Independent School District’s executive director for communications, said the study is being given proper review. The school board discussed it at a June 11 special meeting.

"Waco ISD is appreciative of the comprehensive staffing review conducted by the Texas Association of School Boards,” Wucher told the Waco Reporter. “We will be thoughtful and carefully consider TASB’s recommendations. It’s important that we look at the big picture and consider how our budget and instructional model will continue to be impacted by this pandemic.”

He said the report will not lead to terminations.

“No one should expect to lose their job as a result of this study,” Wucher said. “If we make reductions in our staffing levels, those will come through attrition over time.”

One major question is how many students will be in classrooms this fall, which Wucher said is still being studied.

“In regards to student enrollment, predicting what that will be in the fall is difficult," he said. "Right now, we are not expecting significant changes in our enrollment. However, we are in uncharted territory. We’re also awaiting guidance from TEA regarding a number of factors including how average daily attendance will be calculated and how many students will be able to be in a classroom. Answers to these questions will drive the options we select for next school year.”

The administration is not cloistered as it makes its calls, he said. In fact, the staff welcomes input.

“To help us make those decisions, we’ve assembled a 50-member task force of teachers, campus and district administrators and community representatives,” Wucher said. “The group is proactively working on developing options to provide instructional continuity for Waco ISD students for the 2020-2021 school year.”

The Waco ISD remains focused on health matters as well in this year of the pandemic.

“We are also committed to keeping our students and staff safe," Wucher said. "Any plan to reopen our schools will be guided by recommendations from public health officials, the Texas Education Agency and the Waco ISD COVID-19 task force. Whether our students are back in person, in a hybrid setting, learning virtually or a combination of these options, we will make sure they receive quality instruction and have access to technology and the Internet where gaps exist.”