Please note that this was mistakenly published yesterday. We took it down to keep with our habit of only posting once each day.
According to data available from The Texas Tribune if EPISD increased the number of students per teacher up to the overall state average, EPISD would need 53 fewer teachers (not to mention administrators).
The Tribune also tells us that the average salary for an EPISD teacher is $51,576 excluding benefits. We don’t know what percentage to apply to the basic salary in order to compute the cost of benefits. We do know that the state minimum retirement contribution is 6.8% and their lowest contribution to pay for health care is $350 a month for a teacher with no other family members being insured. That adds another 8.1%.
If somehow the benefit costs only add up to 15% of the teacher’s salary increasing the class size up to the Texas average would save the taxpayers over $3.1 million per year.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
I’d be interested in seeing what data the “Texas Tribune” has. Frankly, it is hard to believe that this district is so rampant with undersized classes.
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Principals have been under the gun for the past few years to cut personnel budgets. There are many empty classrooms at elementary and middle school that are used as offices, book storerooms, obsolete equipment storerooms, etc. The schools get away with it by increasing class sizes and reducing the number of teachers. I wandered around two high schools this past year and also found classrooms used for anything except classes. It will never cease as voters are too apathetic.
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Well yeah, but EPISD is not into SAVING taxpayers money. They like “Tax, waste, spend, tax some more” much better. After all, “It’s for the children”. And still, “Jose, Suzie”, can’t read, write or do simple math. And of course the EPISD does have that almost BILLION$$ Bond, others, they have to blow-off on something.
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Increase class size? Try grading 35 essays a week for 6 classes (do the math if you can). English courses (required) are strained to the limit in all districts. Is education about educating or saving money? And yes, EPISD has worked diligently to run off as many teachers as possible the last three years to “balance the budget.” It has worked. Just look at how many have retired and left Coronado during Henderson’s reign of terror. And, some leave because the pay is too low for the 60-70 hours required each week (grading every night, six nights a week plus the 40 or more hours in class). And don’t start talking about the great vacations and summers off. We are still required to do CE in the summer which is now 60 days and prepare for the upcoming year. This is why most teachers who came from the business sector to try teaching to “make a difference” have quit. Let’s balance the budget by reducing the levels of management, closing schools, and paying management appropriately.
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According to the data published by the Texas Tribune EPISD averages 14.9 students per teacher.
“reducing the levels of management, closing schools and paying management appropriately” also seem to make sense.
Brutus
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That’s the report, not reality. Remember, a teacher is someone who holds a teaching certificate, even if he/she does not teach. So counselors and anyone else at a school who has ZERO students (not counting APs and Ps) is figured into the statistic. So if a there are 1000 students and 30 teachers and 10 who do not teach (mostly counselors) but have a certificate, the per classroom number is 25 (1000/40), but in reality it is 33.33 per classroom (1000/30).
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They count teachers, counselors, ALL’s, teacher leaders, SPED Coaches, . They don’t count nurses, clerks, secretaries, principal, AP’s, custodians, cafeteria. Middle school classes for core run 35-45, PE 65-75, electives- Band- 80, Orchestra- 80, choir- 50, CTE course are limited by law and number of workstations, languages 40-45.That gives admin money to hire “tutors” which looks really good like they are really trying to help the kids.
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Well said.
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I get a kick out of the one piece of educational data that has been proven to be true with real valid data from top institutions is now being disregarded. Let’s just go ahead and get a tablet for every kid, plenty of software, and a facilitator to keep the peace and turn them loose. Just sign our tax dollars over to corporations and get out of the way. Look at page 9 of Cabrera’s contract under civic organizations and see how the EPISD is going to pay his dues for many clubs and groups. Guess how much money was spent on DUES for the Superintendent last year (2016-2017)????? $98,727. If one of them was the Elks he probably gets to wear the rack and next convention. That was just a little up over the $85K the previous year.
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“I get a kick out of the one piece of educational data that has been proven to be true with real valid data from top institutions is now being disregarded.” And what one piece is that, Dan?OK Cabrera negotiated a contract that pays dues up to about 100k. You have to figure The Good Ol Boys Club of Past Superintendents of EPISD has an extensive membership.
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Mike, Teacher to student ratio. Lower = better leaning.
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I most heartily agree smaller is better. Had best results in my classes with 16:1. However, administration “gets away” with fudging the numbers thru counting non-classroom teachers. Always thought it strange whenever we got “visitors” the principal would guide them to teachers who at that period only had 8, or 12, or 16 students. Thought it strange the counselors were scheduling small classes like that. And everyone smiles and nods, and winks. And the next classes are the classes from hades- all the bad behaving, gangbanger wanna bees, and the students who speak No English, mixed in to create a class of 40, and only 30 seats available. Counselors and admin answer- well adjust your inadequate classroom management plan. My answer- here’s the keys and the lesson plan- show me how you experts would do it.
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Mike, he did not negotiate a contract with the Board of Managers he wrote it.
And they approved it! And we are stuck with it!
The EPISD is just a part-time position for him.
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Dan, there is negotiating and “negotiating”. So far our last 2 superintendents “negotiated” their contracts. “you want me? This is what you’ll pay.” I’m told it is a lot like shopping in a bordello.
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If his leadership at public meetings regarding school closures isn’t necessary, why exactly do we need to be paying for him to belong to local social clubs? If it is a networking thing, most would bring him in for free as an invited speaker once a year.
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I retired from service, went to work in the corporate work, retired from there. For 15 years I put up with EPISD’s crap as a CTE teacher.The only plan they have is to enrich administrators and consultants. the 70 hrs a week for the low low princely(not) sum they were paying made no sense. The health care actually is some of the worst imaginable and expensive. Except strangely enough for central office personnel. The stress is so high my cardiologist begged me to quit after my first heart attack. EPISD doesn’t want teachers- they want social facilitators who can administer test after useless test under the phrase benchmark, assessment, determinations, and a half dozen others. All so they can have metrics that say teachers aren’t teaching correctly. Need to put the brakes on, throw all the 62 initiatives out the door along with the consultants that came with it, drop the idea dual language can be imposed in 5 years and then drop it, get back to basics, make the teacher the authority in the classroom not the student or the parent or the administrator,close 12 schools including middle schools, and stop worrying about what charter schools do.
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You are incorrect on health care being different for central office employees and teachers. It is all the same coverage, premiums and plans.
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So, you are saying Central Office administrators, as part of their term contracts, do not have agreements in those contracts to supplement their pay in the amount of the premium costs, deductible costs, Health Spending account stipends, and other healthcare enhancements?
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The supt yes but others at central office…no sir.
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BTW, not all central office administrators have contracts either. Some do and some don’t.
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60 days off in summer seems more than most people get for the entire year.
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True, most folks get about 15 to 30 for vacation. I haven’t seen a teacher yet that wasn’t working over the summer on lesson plans, required professional development, activities for the classes, laying out classroom management expectations…..all in response to campus directives which change directions and targets. In 15 years, I had one uninterrupted 45 day summer period. And I was fortunate. There are teachers today who are moving classrooms.
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We can bat this around all day, but the answer is voter involvement and turn out. Fush the current crop of candidates and administration.
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