Student reading scores are good, math needs work
Financial incentives to boost the teaching ranks of the Taylor Independent School District got a thumbs up this week from trustees.
Also during the Monday, Feb. 24, meeting, school board members heard an update on bond projects, students’ scores, a report on property-tax legislation and the next fiscal budget.
The discussion on increasing pay to attract educators comes at a time when lawmakers in Austin are also considering legislation to give teachers bigger paychecks.
To hire more qualified staff members prior to the start of summer, trustees approved offering an incentive of $1,000 to teachers with less than five years’ experience and $1,500 to teachers with more than six years’ experience.
School board members also OK’d a proposal to give an additional signing bonus of $2,000 for fully certified secondary math teachers.
The money would not come directly from the district’s budget, but from federal funds.
Jennifer Patschke, assistant superintendent of Human Resources and Federal Programs, said the boost is needed to recruit and retain teachers.
On March 4, she will attend a recruitment event at the University of Texas at Austin.
“Typically, the decision behind the early applicant hires is that these teachers are more qualified,” Patschke said.
“We aim to be competitive in pay and recruitment,” added Chief Financial Officer Jina Self.
In other business, Rice & Gardner Consultants Inc. associate Aaron Mullins provided a bond update. Taylor is in the process of updating, remodeling and new construction.
Renovations to Naomi Pasemann Elementary School are complete, but work is still being done on Main Street Elementary School and Taylor High School, with a specific focus on the Career and Technical Education facility.
Phases 2 and 3 of the bonds remain within budget and are not facing any delays.
Meanwhile, Self gave an overview of the 2024-25 budget with an eye to the 2025-26 budget.
Changes in policies and reimbursements from the Department of Health and Human Services will cause a decrease in funding, officials said.
Self said that this was a matter of concern for every area school district, not just Taylor ISD.
For the upcoming school year, the property tax relief bill Texas Senate Joint Resolution 2 is also of concern.
“Some district impact from tax compression is expected,” Self said. “But that impact can’t yet be projected. We will keep an eye on it.”
Student test scores overall are more positive, but math learning needs work, according to an update provided by Chief Academic Officer Megan Zembik.
Reading scores rose in most grade levels, but math scores were lower than expected.
Taylor High Principal Matthew Wamble was not concerned about the drop in math scores, and he backed Zembik’s assertion the data is not always accurate.
“It’s a pacing issue when certain areas of math are taught,” Wamble told the board. “All of the information presented on a test may not be information yet taught in the classroom.”
The meeting ended on a high note as the principals from Pasemann, Main Street and Taylor Middle School — Cynthia Proctor, Kerri Pierce and Steven Vigil, respectively — showed the board how their schools addressed and achieved personalized goals.
Their efforts drew praise from Superintendent Jennifer Garcia-Edwardsen.
“We’ve asked a lot of heavy lifting from our staff this year. This has been a rebuilding year; it hasn’t been easy work,” Garcia-Edwardsen said. “It takes time to refine and troubleshoot. We’ve needed to pivot a little bit, and our teachers have been so flexible and understanding and willing to put the work in. I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge them.”
