AUSTIN (KXAN) — Education Austin, the labor union representing 12,000 AISD staff members, has created a petition calling for a 3% pay raise for all employees plus a $500 mid-year bonus for classified employees.

“During these times of change and uncertainty, AISD employees have stepped up to face the challenges of adjusting to new ways of learning, teaching, and serving families. It is clear that school employees are the backbone of our society. Let’s pay them accordingly,” the petition reads.

As of Monday afternoon, more than 2,300 signatures have been collected.

Longtime AISD transportation employee Lisa Pannell is one of those workers requesting the raise. Pannell is an inventory tech who ensures proper maintenance and inventory for the buses. When the pandemic hit, her work and that of her husband, who serves as a bus monitor, did not stop.

“It’s a very unnerving, very scary thing,” Pannell said of working during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pannell is an example of a classified employee who, if approved, would receive a $500 hero bonus mid-year. She said that bump and additional raise would go a long way towards improving quality of life for her and her colleagues.

“We are talking about people that are making $22,000 to $23,000 dollars per year,”
Pannell said. “Especially in our economy in the way it is, to pay for food and rent in the Austin area, it’s necessary to have this bump of pay.”

This request comes at a time when public school districts face the difficult task of budgeting amid an ongoing pandemic. The health crisis has led to a drop in sales tax revenue, property tax revenue and widespread job loss.

“We are trying to understand something that is really overtaking us, not only behaviorally, but also financially. It has disrupted all of our best hopes for planning,” said Nicole Conley, AISD’s Chief of Business and Operations during a 2021 preliminary budget meeting held on April 27..

“We are in a very different situation than we were two months ago. Life changed for all of us. In Austin, in Texas, in all of the country,” said AISD Superintendent Paul Cruz during that same virtual meeting.

Dr. Cruz had sent out a letter to parents on May 1, outlining investments the district plans to make for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year. That includes investments in technology, special education staffing and certified language therapists.

Proposed investments for 2020-21 school year include:

● Technology investment for blended learning: $22 million
● Additional special education teachers and staff: $7.3 million
● Certified academic language therapists: $1.68 million
● Pre-K teaching assistants to lower class ratio
● Additional support for school changes
● Special education teacher stipends
● Bilingual teacher stipend to support language programs

“We are fortunate to work with our board to keep our financial reserves strong.
Because of our strong reserves, we are able to weather unpredictable storms like this one,” Cruz wrote.

The district wouldn’t answer KXAN’s questions regarding Education Austin’s specific pay raise request, but instead pointed to public records of budgetary discussions from late April.

In it, AISD’s financial administrators explain some of the costs the district has incurred due to the pandemic. According to Conley, AISD has spent over $7.5 million on COVID-19, including distance learning technology and deep cleaning.

The district also reported significant savings, as well. According to Conley, the district has pocketed more than $4 million after essentially freezing hiring and saving on utility expenses and contract services.

Dr. Fernando Medina, the Chief Human Capital Officer mentioned several initiatives recently launched for AISD staff including sign-on bonuses and increased stipends for bilingual and special education instructors.

Last year, the AISD board approved a historic 6% pay increase for all employees and a 7% increase for teachers, librarians and counselors with more than five years of experience, according to the district.

Ken Zarifis, the president of Education Austin, said an across-the-board raise in teacher salaries proves the district cares about the employees who have worked hard during the COVID-19 crisis.

“We firmly believe in this world, while dealing with challenges, a meager and respectful 3% pay raise is a reasonable ask in the midst of this,” Zarifis said. “We are so serious about this. You can’t just say you guys are heroes, show us.”

A final adoption of the 2020-2021 budget is expected to be complete by June 15.

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