Austin ISD‘s teaching staff numbers reached a new low this year, with far more teachers either quitting or retiring than joining the district. According to teacher numbers provided by the district, AISD had 5,520 full time equivalents (meaning full-time staff, and part-timers whose combined hours add up to a full-time position). This marks three years of consecutive decreases, from a high of 5,809 in the 2014-15 school year. The numbers reflect a high percentage of teachers either retiring or resigning from AISD. Last year, 14.7% of teaching staff left the payroll, up from 13.2% in the 2015-16 school year. At the same time, the district hired the lowest number of new teachers in at least six years. As of Aug. 17, only 550 hires were either new or new-to-district, down from 669 last year. Fewer teachers reflects the long trend within AISD of fewer students. A study by consultants Davis Demographics forecasts total enrollment to drop by 4.77% by 2026. There’s been plenty of finger-pointing, but the consensus is that the struggles can be attributed to a combination of shifting demographics (“Saving Austin’s Schools,” Sept. 8) and increased competition from private and charter schools.
This article appears in September 8 • 2017.
