Austin News

Austin ISD's spring semester began with a new staffing pilot program called “Alternative Work Arrangement.”

The new program will allow for increased flexibility for a variety of work arrangements while ensuring that students are able to get the attention they need to achieve their academic goals. The program was recommended in December 2020 and was quickly implemented on a number of campuses, including Cunningham and Padrón elementary schools, Burnet and Covington middle schools, Bowie High School and Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders.

Chief of School Leadership Anthony Mays explained the program will give principals freedom to address their individual schools’ needs. 

“The educational needs of our students and families are the priority, and the program allows principals and campus teams the flexibility to work collaboratively to reach students' demands while ensuring teachers and staff are safe,” Mays said. 

Since the program’s implementation can look so different from district to district, Cunningham’s system included a five-step plan to give teachers teams with designated leaders who can help control when and how a return to normal work would look. 

“The fact that we were allowed to decide as a team helped all of us feel better about the decision,” Margaret Longauer, a Cunningham teacher, said. “Having ownership of the decision is better than someone else directing how and why it would work.”

At Burnet, Principal Marvelia De La Rosa asked the staff to participate in a teachers’ committee to collaborate on how best to deliver the type of attention that the students deserve. 

“This gave teachers the voice and the space to work through their primary love and goal: to teach our students,” De La Rosa said. “Our staff was able to figure out how to balance taking care of their needs and supporting the needs for all of our students.”