Layoffs are hitting the School of Science and Technology as the budget tightens

The School of Science and Technology is the latest San Antonio school system to announce job cuts as federal COVID-19 funds run out and school attendance suffers.

The cuts will affect 40 teacher assistant positions at eight campuses in the San Antonio region. Classrooms for preschool, kindergarten and special education students, as well as physical education classes, will retain their teacher assistants, according to the charter school.

The reductions were the result of the expiration of these funds and the lack of increased education funding from the state, according to charter spokeswoman Anna Ruiz.

“The state of Texas has not allocated more money to all public schools for the 2024-2026 biennial budget,” Ruiz said. “This has resulted in significant cuts, which will unfortunately continue into next school year as we do not have access to the ESSER Covid funds.”

Work is still underway to finalize the school’s budget for next year.

The school, which serves approximately 10,000 students on eight campuses primarily concentrated in North San Antonio, with two campuses near Schertz and one in South San Antonio, is working to reassign affected employees to the before- and after-school programs and other available non-exempt programs. positions.

The charter network also has schools in Corpus Christi and Houston. Ruiz’s statement did not share details about possible cuts to those schools.

Parents, who heard about the cuts through social media, shared on Facebook their concerns about whether the cuts would lead to overcrowded classrooms without enough staff.

Despite the cuts, the charter network has a highly qualified staff, including 113 teachers who are part of the state’s Teacher Incentive Allotment program, which provides districts and charter operators with additional funding for top-performing teachers based on student enrollment growth and observation in the class.

According to the district, this means one-third of core classroom teachers have earned the award.

Districts across the region are facing difficult financial decisions as they finalize budgets for the next school year. The South San Antonio Independent School District’s board of directors authorized that district’s superintendent earlier this year to lay off employees if necessary.

Hundreds of positions were eliminated from the San Antonio Independent School District also due to the expiration of ESSER.

SAISD Superintendent Jaime Aquino has emphasized the need for more funding from the state during budget conversations in his district.

On Monday, the School of Science and Technology echoed that sentiment.

“We hope this issue highlights the importance of public funding for all students in the public school system,” Ruiz’s statement said. “It is important that we have parents, teachers and staff to continue to advocate for public education.”

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