Staff Weekly — Sept. 8, 2021

Staff Weekly

By Cristina Nguyen ● Apr 12, 2022

Smart Brevity™ count: 4.5 mins... 1250 words

Welcome back! I hope you had a restful Labor Day.

Let’s see what’s happening this week…

1 big thing: It’s time for leveling

This week we’ll begin our process of moving teachers to where they’re most needed.

Why it matters: This annual process, often called leveling, will help balance class sizes, especially in the virtual learning option.

This year leveling will be more widespread than usual because we’re staffed for more than 77,000 students. Our enrollment is currently at 73,954.

Don't worry: No one's job is at risk during this process.

We'll move teachers to where our students are — some schools have more students than expected while others have fewer.

Substitute teachers will also be more available since they'll move from the virtual learning program back to the in-person pool.
We estimate about 55 bilingual or English as a Second Language teachers will be reassigned to support students.

Big picture: We’re working on making these changes early in the year so students and staff can settle in for the rest of the year.

Middle and high school students may experience schedule changes as teachers move where they’re needed.

Elementary students may have new classmates as classes shift.

What's next: Affected staff will be notified by Friday, Sept. 10.

Parents of affected students will be notified by Friday, Sept. 17.
New classes will officially start between Wednesday, Sept. 22 and Friday, Sept. 24.

2. Question of the week: Will I be notified of a COVID case near me?

The question of the week, from staff member Kathy, asks Superintendent Stephanie S. Elizalde about contact tracing and notifications of a positive case.

Will I be notified of a COVID positive case near me at work?

Answer: Yes, but you may not need to quarantine.

When someone tests positive, they’re asked a series of questions to see who has been a close contact, as defined by the CDC.
Fully vaccinated people will not need to quarantine if they come in close contact with someone who tests positive.
Unvaccinated adults who were within six feet of an adult with COVID-19 will need to quarantine, regardless if masks were worn.

The bottom line: Contact tracing is consistent across the district and every situation is unique.

All staff who needs to quarantine is notified via letter and a phone call from campus administration.
An email is also sent to the entire school or office community when there’s a positive case.
Spaces the confirmed positive person has occupied are identified and closed, undergoing a deep cleaning immediately.

Have a question? Reach out with Let’s Talk and get information quickly and straight from the source.

3. Staff quarantines down 50%

Only 13 staff members had to quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure this week, down from 26 last week.

And a whopping 560 fewer students had to quarantine compared to last week.

Why it matters: We’re seeing the effects of our updated quarantine guidelines, which allowed more students to stay in class if masks were worn properly during a COVID-19 exposure.

The big picture: Our total caseload is hovering around 223, a small increase from last week but still just 0.26% of our students and staff.

The bottom line: Keep wearing your masks and get vaccinated if you can — we can beat this.

*The data is calculated with the sum of students and staff listed on the Austin ISD website.

4. Stay engaged in board meetings virtually

stack of file folders on a lectern with a microphone

We’ve updated our public comment procedures to allow community members to call in or appear in person to share thoughts with the Board of Trustees.

Why it matters:   We’re still in Stage 5 of COVID-19 recommendations in Austin and we’re committed to doing what we can to limit the spread.

The call-in option remains in place, along with in-person comments.
Whether you want to speak in person or record over the phone, you’ll still need to sign up before 3 p.m. on the day of the board meeting.

You should know: If you want to speak to trustees about a non-voting item during their information sessions, that will still be via telephone only.

Dive deeper: We’ve updated our website with detailed instructions for recording your comments over the phone and signing up to speak in person.

The bottom line: The Board of Trustees will meet tomorrow for the Board Information Session and we’ll take comments via phone only since it’s not a voting meeting.

We encourage everyone to participate in the meeting virtually by watching live on the Austin ISD Facebook or AISD.TV so we can limit in-person capacity in the board room.

5. We need your voice at upcoming bond meetings

We’ve scheduled a series of meetings to plan for the future of Austin ISD through a new bond issuance, and we want to hear from you.

Why it matters: We face a lot of challenges — from air conditioning to program access — and were only able to address a fraction of them with our previous bond.

Between the lines: Using the Equity by Design framework, we want to make sure we have a grasp on what our people — especially members of historically underserved communities — really want in a bond.

In these meetings, district staff is hoping to engage with the community on how to rebuild trust and make sure people are ready to talk about a bond.

Dates and times: Join the conversation in these virtual discussions in both English and Spanish:

English: Monday, Sept. 13, 6-8 p.m.
Spanish: Tuesday, Sept. 14, 6-8 p.m.
English: Saturday, Sept. 18, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

For more information on Austin ISD's long-range planning, please visit www.austinisd.org/plans.

6. Benefits enrollment season starts next month

We've got some updates on employee insurance, including coverage tiers, plan changes, and other additions to next year’s benefits package.

Remember, enrollment is mandatory each year, and you'll have to make an election or decline coverage in October.

Even if you love your current plan, benefits elections don't roll over each year.

Enrollment will be 100% virtual this year. You won’t be able to sit face-to-face with an expert, so it’s even more important to know your options ahead of time.

We’re hosting informational meetings via Zoom to share what’s new before enrollment opens.

Important reminder: To ensure all of your insurance documents are mailed to your correct mailing address, we’re asking all employees to verify or update their address in the BOLT Employee tile in the AISD Portal by Friday, September 17.