The Teacher Leadership Council is comprised of at least one teacher representative from each campus. These individuals meet regularly with the Superintendent to discuss and share insight on questions and topics submitted by teachers at each campus. The items of districtwide interest are addressed in the meeting and written responses provided to the teacher representatives for them to take back to their campus. Those same questions are also posted to this Teacher Leadership FAQ and shared in the regular internal e-newsletter "Staff News."
- Teachers are still concerned about pay raises. The common thought is our salaries are not compatible with inflation.
- Will the mask mandate be lifted?
- Will we be given a pay raise next year to be comparable to surrounding districts?
- Will the procedures for notifying staff and families about COVID cases notifications be updated?
- Will students be one-to-one with devices next school year? Chromebooks or tablets?
- Will any other options be provided to cover days off for employees that need to quarantine due to COVID?
- Considering a great number of teachers have contracted Covid from work, and teachers are coming to work sick with Covid, could the district provide teachers 5 Covid days if teachers test positive?
- Will the 30 minutes added on to our school day be subtracted for next year since no more temperature checks are being done?
- Will staff be required to be vaccinated the upcoming school year?
- The Superintendent understands the added stress and responsibilities that the pandemic has created for teachers. PLCs have been reduced, but why are some departments not reducing the PLC requirements and adding to teachers' responsibilities?
- In a profession where there are more female than male staff, will the district consider offering maternity leave? Due to days used for quarantine, there is concern about their family needs.
- Can the district consider giving non-STAAR grades the opportunity to take assessments on paper? Staff is concerned about students new to the educational settings learning to be students, concepts, and how to show knowledge through digital means.
- Why are campuses used as voting sites when residents can vote at the library? It's a safety concern, especially since we do not allow people to just come into the building on other days.
- Many team leads are asking about receiving stipends. Many teachers have expressed concern about other districts giving their team leaders a stipend since they have more responsibilities and aid other teachers.
- Could parents be held accountable for their student's absences and behavior? Teachers believe despite their efforts issues go unresolved due to parents not having the same value system as the school district.
- Teachers are concerned about pay issues. What is being done to address concerns related to notable pay increases? This is important because it was repeated amongst staff. It also is important because we need to retain teachers.
- Due to teachers' concern about pay raises and inflation could the district consider getting corporations to assist in helping Duncanville teachers in receiving discounts?
- In a year where more and more responsibilities are being put on teachers, what is the plan for lessening the load instead of adding to it? What is the plan to help retain teachers who are currently in the district?
- Why are professional staff not compensated for the extra 30 minutes added to the work day this year? Professional staff were informed by HR that they would NOT be compensated for their daily 30 minutes of time.
- Could we implement a district plan in which teachers are able to teach the prior grade level TEK in order to close gaps but not be penalized. Teachers are focused on closing academic gaps, yet need to feel that they will not be penalized.
- Why are we left out of the communication loop when it directly affect us as teachers? This question is important because receiving information at the last minute creates distrust and lacks transparency.
- Why is the curriculum/admin department more focused on the "I Will and We Will" statements instead of the content being taught? When will the curriculum/admin realize that the reason scores are high on certain campuses is due to having more autonomy?
- The pay for extra classes is not where it should be. We get paid 10k for 2 extra classes and it has been this way for 14 years. It should be 1/4 of our salary. These extra classes normally come with another or additional preps.
- Professional development that aligns to the different programs teachers are expected to utilize. Teachers feel unprepared and unsupported when it comes to clarity and how they are expected to implement different requirements.
- What can the district do to require students to clean up at the end of the day? Custodians are having to spend more time cleaning rooms that are "trashed" with overflowing trash cans, popcorn in the carpet, etc. Workload doubled this year.
- Will custodial pay increase because of mandatory overtime? What is the district doing about the workload? The increased workload and overtime hours are causing hardships for families. We are aware that substitute pay has increased.
- Another concern expressed was concerning our district PD not offering enough support for first year teachers and quality PD being offered. This is important because we must provide teachers with the necessary resources.
- Will we still be required to wear a mask after returning from the holiday break in January? This has been hard to regulate in the classroom. And many times I still have to remove mine to be understood or to see the pronunciation of words.
- Could you please provide clarity regarding Dual Credit teachers not being paid a stipend for teaching classes that have less than 15 students? Students receive their credit, the district rating improves, yet teachers will not be paid.
- Who is accountable for ensuring a safe learning and workplace for teachers that have experienced a hostile working environment?
- Will Duncanville ISD ever go to a 4-day school week of Monday-Thursday?
- Is it ethical/appropriate for an appraiser or administrator to share observations with subordinate staff?
- Why aren't teachers notified about PACE graduates? Again, we want to celebrate the accomplishments of our students too.It is great to see their faces on social media after the fact, but it kind of defeats the purpose for us.
- Why aren't teachers notified about Superintendent Scholars? We want to celebrate our students too.
- Why doesn’t the district ban hoodies, crocks, earbuds and earphones in school. Hoodies are becoming a fight teachers are tired of fighting.
- Is there a way for days off to be paid for through the school district as opposed to counted as traditional sick days if they are found to be COVID positive since quarantine is fourteen days?
- Could PLC training be reduced to twice a month because the meetings are lessening the times for planning instruction.?
- Can teachers have more teacher work days to plan in their rooms?
- Could elementary students take pencil paper tests instead of computerized tests ? Or could students take the paper pencil test and later submit the information online.?
- Is it possible for teachers to receive a raise to assist with inflation costs?
- Can there be district-wide team building meetings besides the one-time convocation? A suggestion of a mid-year check-in was offered.
- Will the mask mandate stay in effect for the rest of the year?
- Is there a way to address the consistency of teachers updating grades into Skyward? It is discouraging for students and parents when the work is being done, but they see no change.
- Would the district consider pay increase for reading and math center teachers to be comparable to Teacher Specialist, since they are not classroom teacher.s and serve in a campus leadership role?
- How can students be taught the current grade level expectations when they have learning gaps from last year? How can teachers address both? A plan that helps to address current and past student expectations would help teachers better prepare students.
- Will Duncanville ISD begin to offer extra duty pay for teachers that cover classes for absent teachers due to lack of substitutes?
- Why is the district just now looking at changing the student dress code?
- Why does the district continue to create more jobs positions at the Central Office, but state that there are no funds available for teacher raises?
- Why is Duncanville ISD not keeping a competitive salary as compared to other districts?
- Why did Duncanville ISD wait to release the staff (teacher) salary information until after teachers had already signed a contract they were obligated to honor?
- When it comes to aligning curriculum why are some schools being forced into teaching the same as other schools/departments? Our campus has higher scores because in the past we were allowed to be different, NOT the same as the rest of the district