Spring 2022 ATPE News

ATPE News

ON THE FRONT LINES OF EDUCATION

Two years into the pandemic, Texas public educators speak out on the lingering challenges of COVID-19, mounting expectations, and the way forward | PAGES 16–27

PREPARE FOR THE 2022 ELECTIONS

PAGE 12

Student discipline basics

New member benefit:

THE GREAT ESCAPE

No one deserves time away from the “real world” more than an educator—and using your ATPE member benefits, you can save while seeking some R & R.

Save on hotels, car rental, cruises, vacation packages, and even AAA Texas membership (plus a wide variety of other services and products necessary for the everyday grind).

ATPE News

The official publication of the Association of Texas Professional Educators

State Officers

Karen Hames President, Lewisville (11)

Stacey Ward Vice President, Humble (4)

Jayne Serna Secretary, Leander (13)

Jason Forbis Treasurer, Midway (12)

Jimmy Lee Past President, Paris (8)

Board of Directors

MaElena Ingram McAllen (1)

Barbara Ruiz Corpus Christi (2)

Mandy Vahrenkamp Calhoun County (3)

Eli Rodriguez Cypress-Fairbanks (4)

Suellen Ener Beaumont (5)

Gidget Belinoski-Bailey Willis (6)

Teresa Millard Woden (7)

Shelia Slider North Lamar (8)

Patti Gibbs Nocona (9)

Wanda Bailey Mesquite (10)

Teri Naya Birdville (11)

Ron Walcik Killeen (12)

Stephanie Stoebe Round Rock (13)

Leslie Ward Merkel (14)

Betty Gail Wood-Rush Early (15)

Shane Whitten Amarillo (16)

Allyson Haveman Lubbock (17)

Gail Adlesperger Big Spring (18)

Robert Zamora Clint (19)

Laura Herrera North East (20)

ATPE News Staff

David George Editor

John Kilpper Art Director

Michael Spurlin Associate Editor

Haley Weis Associate Editor

Jennifer Tuten Digital Editor

Marjorie Parker Contributing Designer

Kate Johanns Editorial Director

ATPE News (ISSN 0279-6260) is published

quarterly in fall, winter, spring, and summer

Subscription rates: for members of the association, $3 32 per year (included in membership dues); non-members, $10 per year Extra copies $1 25 each

Published by the Association of Texas Professional Educators, 305 E Huntland Drive, Suite 300, Austin, TX 787523792 Periodical postage paid at Austin, Texas, and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ATPE News, 305 E Huntland Dr , #300, Austin, TX 78752-3792 Advertising rates may be obtained by sending a written request to the above address Opinions expressed in this publication represent the attitude of the contributor whose name appears with the article and are not necessarily the official policy of ATPE ATPE reserves the right to refuse advertising contrary to its purpose Copyright 2022 in USA by the Association of Texas Professional Educators

ISSN ©ATPE 2022 0279-6260 USPS 578-050

305 E Huntland Dr , Ste 300 Austin, TX 78752-3792

(800) 777-ATPE (2873) atpe org | atpe@atpe org

Second semester has begun, and there’s fall-like weather outside. Wait…what? Fall weather? In January?! Because of the heat, we did something unique for dessert on Christmas; we had ice cream! Blue Bell, I love you, but home-churned ice cream is amazing. I’m not a purist—we don’t have the old hand-crank, wood-blade model—Cuisinart is my friend. There’s just something about making it yourself that adds to the experience, especially when you share it with family and friends.

I share this with you to make a comparison: ice cream and students. Weird? Bear with me.

1. There are so many types of icy treats: gelato, soft serve, traditional, sandwiches, Popsicles, snow cones, frappes, sorbet, frozen yogurt, milkshakes, and—because we’re in Texas—we must include Slurpees. Students, too, come in all shapes and sizes. You can’t compare one to another because they’re all unique.

2. There are so many flavors. Isn’t it wonderful that no matter how many students you have, they’re all different and can change depending on what you’re doing in the classroom? Just like ice cream, you can change them up by adding to the mix or keeping it simple and enjoying good old vanilla.

3. Ice cream lends itself to memories. For me, it’s the childhood trip to Baskin-Robbins as a reward for accomplishing something. When we visited Italy, we had lemon gelato from every city because everyone said theirs was the best, so of course, we had to make sure. Students produce teaching memories, also. Sometimes it’s a light-bulb moment or a funny response, but you’ve also had that one child every year who made you smile.

I love a good pie, and oatmeal lace cookies are a wonderful homemade treat, but ice cream brings back memories. And though we may complain about the time it takes to prepare—just like lesson plans—the end reward of homemade goes beyond any store-bought version. The only downside is you must eat it fast before it turns back into cream. Actually, that sounds like students, too; we only have them a short amount of time. Like the magic of turning different ingredients into a product, you make magic every day.

In this issue, we have some serious but vital topics for you: educator mental health, resignations, student learning loss, and supply chain shortages. Grab yourself a bowl of ice cream and sit down to read, knowing ATPE has you covered.

With respect,

Karen

Hames

ATPE State President

FEATURES

16

Burning the Candle at Both Ends

In the third school year impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, three educators and one administrator reflect on the challenges, the things that keep them going, and their hopes for the future of a profession they love.

20

In the Trenches

Educators are observing many forms of learning loss in their students this year. Although they don’t know how long it will take to bridge these gaps, they remain hopeful Texas lawmakers will hear their stories and empower them to see this through.

24

Food Fight

The pandemic may have disrupted the supply chain, but Texas schools are doing their best to remain flexible and embrace substitutions so they can continue to provide nutritious meals for their students.

SPECIAL SECTIONS EVERYTHING ELSE

12 Be an informed voter with Teach the Vote

Our nonpartisan advocacy site can help you determine which candidates in the 2022 Texas primaries will support your education priorities.

30 In Your Neighborhood

Join us as we visit ATPE “neighborhoods” all over Texas to get an inside look at what volunteers are doing to recruit, retain, and rejoice with their fellow ATPE members.

6 Calendar Page

8 Regional Roundup

10 Your Ally

What every educator should know about classroom discipline

11 PAC’s Peak

14 Your Voice

Protect public education from rhetoric and gerrymandering in the primary election

15 PAC Honor Roll

32 Your ATPE

Subscribe to ATPE State Bylaws

Updates I New Member

Benefit Alert: ATPE Wellbeing Packages I Wanted: Candidates for State Office

I Official Notice of the 42nd Annual Meeting of the ATPE House of Delegates

I In Memoriam: Past State President Georgia McMeans

After two virtual ATPE Summits, we are more than ready to leave our computer screens behind and gather in Grapevine for the biggest reunion ATPE members have ever seen. Check out the top five reasons to attend!

PAGE 28

THE ATPE VISION

The Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) supports the state’s largest community of educators who are dedicated to elevating public education in Texas.

39 Volunteer Spotlight

Meet Cristela Rocha, Del Valle ATPE president.

THE ATPE MISSION

ATPE advocates for educators and delivers affordable, high-quality products and services that give members the peace of mind needed to inspire student success.

Cristela Rocha photo by John Kilpper; Pencil candle illustration by John Kilpper; Trenches illustration by John Kilpper; ©iStockphoto.com/lunar_cat; Cover photo ©iStockphoto.com/FatCamera

BACK IN PERSON & FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE

WILL

MISS THE RETIREMENT BUS?

Will you have enough to retire?

Are you retiring this year (or in the next 5)?

Do you understand the rule of 80 versus the rule of 90 for retirement?

Do you understand the reason for taking a Partial Lump Sum for retirement?

How will inflation affect your pension?

What is a 403b?

Do you have one 403b or multiple?

Have you left a 403b at previous district?

Do you have a problem with credit card debt and budgeting?

There are more than a thousand school districts in Texas, and each one has success stories. Regional Roundup highlights some of the achievements happening in our public schools. When something special happens in your school district, let us know! Send news to comm@atpe.org.

From Across the State HEADLINES

1 A game-changing moment

One Hutto ISD middle school student is trailblazing on the gridiron. Isabella Michael made district history this year by being the first female to score a touchdown during a football game. The support for Isabella has been outstanding—the team even stormed the end zone in celebration after she scored! hipponation.org

2 Stepping up and saving lives

Louisiana

Loraine ISD Superintendent Dustin Anders does what it takes to keep the school district running smoothly—including driving the afternoon school bus route. One afternoon while driving his usual route, Anders noticed the bus slowly powering off. Once he moved the bus to the side of Interstate 20 as best he could before it completely shut down, Anders had all students move to a safe location away from the road and the disabled bus. Soon after, the bus was hit by a semitruck, and the bus suffered extensive damage. Thanks to Anders’ quick thinking, no students were injured in the accident. loraine.esc14.net

3 “Bloody“ good work

For the past several years, Olney ISD’s Olney High School has held a blood drive on campus hosted by the school’s National Honor Society and Student Council. This year, students were faced with a dilemma when the campus closed its doors to outside visitors. The campus leaders took it upon themselves to gather fellow students and staff to make donations. At the conclusion of the blood drive, the students received 21 donations, saving approximately 63 lives!

olneyisd.net

4 Sharing a meal and gratitude

For the first time, Marshall ISD invited parents of Marshall Junior High School and Marshall High School students to attend a Thanksgiving lunch in the spirit of sharing a meal of gratitude. The district had traditionally invited parents of primary students but this year extended the invitation to secondary students’ families. Parents and students enjoyed sliced turkey, cornbread stuffing, green beans, and many more Thanksgiving favorites!

marshallisd.com

5 The GenTX takeover

Victoria ISD spent all November making sure its high school seniors were encouraged to submit applications to pursue higher education, military service, technical training, or another option after graduation. Celebrating Generation Texas (GenTX), Victoria ISD informed students about the college admissions process, including financial aid. The district’s expectation is that upon graduation, students will have a diploma and either a college acceptance, industry certification, or military enlistment.

visd.net

6

“Kicking” off the holiday season

A special holiday surprise was waiting for Canutillo ISD’s Bill Childress Elementary (BCE) School students during a pep rally in November. After an exciting morning filled with cheerleaders and drumlines, Principal Jonathan Flores announced each student had been gifted a brand-new pair of shoes by the Braden Aboud Foundation as part of the foundation’s B Strong, B Giving Shoe Giveaway. Students were so excited and look forward to putting the new sneakers to work on the playground.

canutillo-isd.org

Photos courtesy of Hutto ISD, Loraine ISD, Olney ISD, Marshall ISD, Victoria ISD, and Canutillo ISD

What Every Educator Should Know About Classroom Discipline

Another pandemic-related challenge teachers are facing this school year is an increase in student misbehavior. Whether caused by a year of isolation or other factors, we have seen a dramatic increase in teachers struggling to maintain classroom discipline, making it a good time to review some basics about student discipline.

BY PAUL TAPP ATPE Managing Attorney

Removing a student from the classroom

A district’s student code of conduct specifies when students can be removed to disciplinary alternative education programs (DAEPs), suspended, or expelled.

The Texas Education Code provides that a teacher can temporarily remove a student to the principal’s office to maintain effective classroom discipline. The Education Code also provides that a teacher can remove a student from class and initially refuse to consent to the student’s return if the student has repeatedly or seriously interfered with either the teacher’s ability to communicate or other students’ ability to learn. The interference can be a pattern of behaviors or one serious incident.

If a teacher removes a student for disruptive behavior, the student may be returned to that teacher’s class only if the campus placement review committee determines that the prior placement is the best or only available alternative.

The Education Code also provides a list of student misconduct that either allows or requires the student to be removed from the student’s normal educational placement and placed in a disciplinary alternative educational placement (DAEP).

Students may be suspended for no more than three school days at a time. Students must be expelled for a certain set of serious offenses and may be expelled for some offenses occurring at a campus or school-sponsored event.

Students may be expelled for specific offenses committed against other students regardless of whether the offense occurred on or off campus. Students also may be expelled for assault resulting in bodily injury against a school district employee or a volunteer or other specific offenses.

In most cases, a student can be returned to a

teacher’s class after a DAEP removal or suspension. However, there are exceptions. If a teacher made a mandatory removal to a DAEP due to an aggravated assault, sexual assault, or aggravated sexual assault occurring on campus or at a school-sponsored event, the student may not be returned to the teacher’s class without that teacher’s consent. If a student is removed for assaulting the teacher resulting in bodily injury, the student may not be returned to the teacher’s class without the teacher’s consent. If a student is in the juvenile justice system for an act that occurred in class, the student may not be returned to the teacher’s class in which the offense occurred without that teacher’s consent.

All discipline laws apply to all students regardless of age, with two exceptions:

• Students younger than 10 years old cannot be expelled from school except for carrying a firearm to school.

• Students younger than 6 years old cannot be removed to an off-campus DAEP and must instead receive on-campus consequences, except in cases of carrying a firearm to school.

What does Texas law say about corporal punishment?

Each school district determines whether to allow corporal punishment. All educators must know and follow their local district’s corporal punishment policy. In addition to negative employment consequences that can result from violating the district’s policy, an educator can find themselves sued without the protections normally provided.

Prohibited aversive discipline techniques

Certain specific “aversive discipline techniques” defined in 37.0023 of the Texas Education Code are prohibited. Many of the listed techniques, such as electric shocks or impairing a student’s breathing or circulation, are obviously improper. But educators should be aware of some prohibitions that are not so clearly inappropriate. For example, the list prohibits anything that “inhibits a student’s ability continued on page 35

Take the PAC’s Peak Challenge!

Teach. Teach.

You commit yourself to your profession and your students every day—whether you’re ensuring students arrive safely at school, keeping the campus running smoothly from the secretary’s desk, or instilling knowledge in the classroom. You give Texans reasons to be proud.

Give.

Give.

You shape the makeup of the Texas Legislature. Your financial support enables ATPEPAC to make strategic contributions to candidates and officeholders who will fight for your profession. Need proof? Three-quarters of the pro-public education candidates who received ATPE-PAC donations in the 2020 primaries won their race.

Vote.

Vote.

When educators vote, lawmakers take note. The 2018 elections featured historic educator turnout, and lawmakers responded in 2019 by dramatically increasing school funding and teacher pay. Educator turnout was not as high in 2020—and the 2021 legislative sessions featured several anti-public education bills.

What happens next DEPENDS ON YOU!

If you want pro-public education allies to set the agenda in the 2023 legislative session, we must work together in 2022 by voting and backing ATPE-PAC.

About the PAC’s Peak Challenge

The 12th Annual PAC’s Peak Challenge kicked off Feb. 1 and runs through May 31. Our goal is to raise $20,000 for your ATPE-PAC. Remember: None of your dues dollars fund ATPE-PAC contributions. In order to stay funded, ATPE-PAC depends solely on voluntary donations from ATPE members like you!

If the mail moves as expected, by the time this magazine arrives at your home, you will be able to cast your ballot during early voting for the 2022 Texas primaries. (Early voting runs from Feb. 14-25, with primary election day March 1.) Don’t discount the primaries— these elections are crucial to helping determine who will win the elections in November and make critical decisions in the Texas Legislature, on the State Board of Education, and at a statewide level. ATPE encourages all Texas educators to vote for candidates who support your public education priorities. Ten years ago, in order to help Texas voters make informed decisions about which candidates do in fact support public education, ATPE launched our nonpartisan advocacy site, TeachtheVote.org. Since then, voters have visited the site more than 1.1 million times to use the easily searchable database of candidate profiles, read blog posts with up-to-date election news and info on the most important education issues, and much more.

Be an informed voter with Teach the Vote

BY MICHAEL SPURLIN

ATPE’s nonpartisan advocacy site has been educating voters for the past 10 years

RESEARCH CANDIDATES

When you visit Teach the Vote, you’ll see a “Candidates” option on the main navigation bar. Click the link to access the database of candidate profiles. You’ll find profiles of candidates running for the State Board of Education, both chambers of the Texas Legislature, and selected statewide offices. The site is not limited to just Republican and Democratic candidates but also contains information on third-party and independent candidates.

Enter your address to find candidates running in your district or zoom into specific locations using the interactive map. You may also search for individual candidates by name or access candidate lists by district number.

Each profile contains a plethora of information to aid you in making your electoral decisions. You’ll find basic information, such as whether the candidate is an incumbent, challenger, or candidate running for an open seat, as well as links to candidate websites and social media accounts. You can also view research compiled by ATPE lobbyists, including personal information about the candidate, prior election bids or offices held, notable education-related endorsements, and links to significant Teach the Vote blog posts mentioning the candidate. For those candidates who have one, you’ll also find details on their legislative voting record on prominent education bills.

Additionally, for candidates who returned them, you will find answers to the 2022 ATPE Candidate Survey. This survey consists of open-ended questions concerning education issues. Candidate responses are not edited in any way by ATPE before they are posted, which gives the candidates an opportunity to talk directly to voters like yourself. These survey answers, along with the other profile information, will empower you to make informed decisions and vote for candidates who support public education. If a candidate in your district has not answered ATPE’s survey, encourage them to do so! Candidates may contact government@atpe.org for additional details.

TEACH THE VOTE ADVOCACY BLOG AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Texas political news can change quickly—much more quickly than a print magazine can capture. To keep up with the latest news, visit the Teach the Vote Advocacy Blog. ATPE lobbyists diligently capture all the latest election and education news while also providing detailed analysis so you can better understand the impact made. You can even locate blog posts on a certain topic using the search feature. Don’t have time to check the blog each day? Sign up for the Teach the Vote Week in Review email, where we highlight the biggest stories that week, or follow Teach the Vote on Twitter (@TeachTheVote).

If you are new to following Texas education and politics news, Teach the Vote has you covered there as well. Simply visit “The Issues” tab to learn more about the multitude of issues facing Texas educators today. These explainers will guide you through issues that will be under consideration by your Texas lawmakers, as well as ATPE’s official position on these issues.

Finally, under the “Take Action” tab, click “Resources” to access links to outside organizations that will help you learn more about the candidates and the election. These include links to the official websites of political parties, nonpartisan voter guides from organizations such as the League of Women Voters, and more.

Texas educators like you have a difficult job, and the pandemic has amplified many of the long-standing problems facing public education. These may seem daunting and overwhelming, but you are not powerless to confront them. With your vote, you can elect lawmakers who will help provide you with the resources and solutions to solve these problems and strengthen Texas public education. Use the tools and resources on ATPE’s TeachtheVote.org today to decide which candidates you think are best suited to do so.

Why the Cool Cats and Kittens Will Vote in the Primaries

Watching Texas government in action can feel like an episode of Tiger King, a study in what happens when unscrupulous characters get put in charge without accountability. Fortunately, Texas has a process for weeding out the Joe Exotics of state government. Every two years, voters get to decide whether to keep them or feed them to the cats.

compensation, and retirement benefits. Critically, they have blunted the efforts of other politicians who seek to attack teachers and undermine the public school system for financial gain.

BY MARK WIGGINS ATPE Lobbyist

Thanks to redistricting, your 2022 ballot will look different. Wherever you live in Texas, your address is assigned to a particular district for the Texas House, Texas Senate, State Board of Education (SBOE), and U.S. House. Redistricting—the drawing of these maps—determines which candidates on your ballot may have a significant advantage based on the demographics of the district. Following each census, the people currently in charge of the Texas Legislature get to design these maps based on what they think gives them—and their party—a better chance of reelection.

The 2018 election showed 51% of Texans voted for the Republican at the top of the ballot, and 48% voted for the Democrat—a fairly even split between the two major parties. Yet, under the new maps drawn in 2021, Republicans are expected to win 19 of 31 seats in the Texas Senate. That’s a 61% supermajority—enough to ignore the preferences of the roughly half of all Texans who voted for Democratic candidates. No matter which party—if any—you favor, a supermajority in the Legislature makes it likely the party in power can (and will) pass extremely partisan bills without needing a single vote from the other side.

Because of this gerrymandering, the outcomes of many races on the November 2022 general election ballot are already baked in. The winners will be chosen in the March 2022 primary elections, and that’s where we must focus right now.

Texas public schools have been fortunate to have both Republican and Democratic champions in the Legislature and on the SBOE. These officeholders cast key votes opposing private school vouchers, trying to rein in high-stakes testing, and supporting increases in school funding, educator

Redistricting always results in a reshuffling as politicians retire or run for higher offices. This time, several education-friendly officeholders are retiring, and their successors will mostly be chosen in the March primary elections. Candidates backed by wealthy voucher proponents, such as Betsy DeVos, are lined up to replace them and putting a lot of money and effort into vying for your votes. Case in point: A prominent voucher supporter in Texas recently posted to his several thousand social media followers that public education is “a babysitting service” focused on “employing otherwise unemployable adults, not educating kids.” This is the rhetoric being used to gin up anti-teacher votes this election cycle.

If candidates who belittle public schools win even a handful of seats previously held by pro-public education legislators, every anti-educator bill the Legislature has previously rejected will be brought up and passed permanently into law. That includes vouchers, which would fundamentally dismantle the public education system we have supported for so long.

Then, it will be our turn in the cat cage.

Fortunately, we know what to do. The best chance to protect public education is in the primary election. It is more important than ever for educators to research the candidates and vote in the March 1 primaries. Early voting runs from Feb. 14–25. Our nonpartisan, fact-based resources at TeachtheVote. org include voting records—the true measure of a lawmaker’s education views—as well as candidates’ survey responses to questions about public education issues.

As we saw in the 2019 legislative session, which followed an election where educators showed up in force, the education vote has the power to steer the legislative agenda. So, let’s take our tiger metaphor another direction: It’s time to awaken the sleeping tiger and unleash the hidden dragon at the polls. I’ll see you there.

Thank you for your investment in Texas public education!

The following ATPE members donated $50 or more to ATPE’s Political Action Committee (ATPE-PAC) from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, 2021.

Klein

Marsi Thomas

Krum

Betty Plunkett

Lampasas

Margaret Lovett

Leander

Jayne Serna

McAllen

Twila Figueroa

Mesquite

Jerry Bonham

Midway (12)

Jason Forbis

Nacogdoches

Katherine

Whitbeck

North Lamar

Shelia Slider

Abilene

Tonja Gray

Alief

Barbara Lebold

Alvin

Ron Fitzwater

Amarillo

Nelson Bishop

Nancy Fowler

Nedra McGee

Michael Renteria

Kristel Sexton

Axtell

Janice Hornsby

Ballinger

Darlene Kelly

Belton

Christina Flores

Boerne

Ona Beth Day

Richard Wiggins

Community

Wendy Smith

Crowley

Steve Pokluda

Cypress-Fairbanks

Dorothy Hulett

Eli Rodriguez

Dallas

Maria Slette

Ferris

Meredith Malloy

Galena Park

Sharon Dixon

Lynn Nutt

Hale Center

Lynette Ginn

Humble

Gayle Sampley

Stacey Ward

Huntsville

Johanna Ullrich

Irving

Connie Kilday

Killeen

Emily Fortune

Melissa Walcik

Ron Walcik

Invest in the ATPE Political Action Committee today!

It’s easy to set up recurring monthly or quarterly donations online at atpepac.givesmart.com or by texting ATPEPAC to 76278

Northside (20)

David de la Garza

Madonna Felan

Bobbye Patton

Olney

Dale Lovett

Becky Spurlock

Samuel Spurlock

Paris

Jerrica Liggins

Abby Rogers

Pasadena

Charlotte Anthony

Plano

Katy Matthews

Lindsay Robinson

Region 6

Tanya Shelby

Region 10

Donnetta Allen

Deborah Pleasant

Rosebud-Lott

Beverly Bredemeyer

Round Rock

CaRita Forte

Stephanie Stoebe

San Antonio

Byron Hildebrand

Spearman

Sherry Boyd

Rhonda Smith

Spring Branch

Deborah Wilkes

Tyler

Betty Berndt

Eddie Hill

Woden

Teresa Millard

ATPE Staff

Amanda Bernstein

Ginger Franks

Shannon Holmes

Kate Johanns

Burning the Candle at Both Ends: Educator Resignations and Mental Health

BY JENNIFER TUTEN  ILLUSTRATION BY JOHN KILPPER

eeing kids run through the hallway is one of the greatest joys of Stephanie Stoebe’s job: “Some teachers yell at them to stop and walk, but it really fills your heart with joy when a kid wants to be the first person in your classroom.”

But like many other educators, Stoebe’s joy has been tempered by the challenges facing public education in a pandemic-weary world. These issues have not gone unnoticed by media outlets. A quick Google search for “teacher resignation” yields a flood of articles discussing “The Great Resignation” in the education sphere. When the pandemic first unfolded in March 2020 and schools were forced to shut down, a myriad of feel-good stories followed: signs in teachers’ yards, parades, and creative digital classrooms. A full year of masking, social distancing, and hybrid/remote learning followed.

With the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and a significant drop in cases across Texas in spring 2021, the new school year was positioned to bring back a sense of normalcy that students, parents, and educators desperately needed.

WAITING FOR “NORMAL”

What should have been a year marking a return to normalcy has been anything but. In Stoebe's case, a lack of substitute teachers, intense workload, and new laws have weighed heavily on her mental health.

“I have never had to work so late every day,” she says. “I get to school at 6:45 and leave at 5. I could leave later and still not be done. My husband had to have an intervention with me! We were eating in front of the TV instead of sitting down at the table. My house was a wreck, and I never had time to ride my bike. Things started getting really bad, and I had to reach out to use the counseling services provided by my employer. I was an Army interrogator; I don’t cry easily.”

Stoebe is just one of over 330,000 teachers in Texas facing shifting challenges in the 2021-22 school year. Before the pandemic, her main concern as a teacher was “… making sure that we kept passion in education. I wanted teaching to be seen as a viable and respected career. That is still a concern as more than 30,000 teachers have left the profession since the pandemic started. People have seen now how teachers are being burdened. … With this shift, we need to make sure that the decisions being made on how to run the classrooms and learning are being made by the people in the classrooms.”

As new variants and political battles add fuel to the ongoing public health crisis, those people in the classrooms find themselves in a culture war. What

they teach, what books they can use to teach, and their dedication to their profession seem to be under more scrutiny than ever before—with one public figure outright referring to public education as a “babysitting service” on Twitter in January.

Lockhart ISD Superintendent Mark Estrada has observed this shift in sentiment and speculates that the negativity stems from the uncertainty that we are all grappling with in light of a seemingly never-ending pandemic.

Estrada has spent the past 10 years of his career in Lockhart, a small but rapidly growing Central Texas town approximately 30 miles south of Austin. The city’s unprecedented growth, paired with the pandemic, has presented a multitude of challenges to the district. These obstacles are multifaceted; the ripple effects of COVID-19 are not only felt in the community yearning for a return to normal but also in the local economy.

Housing—in light of rapid growth—is hard to come by; though relief is on the way with multiple developments in the planning phase, the current reality has students and educators alike reeling. In a survey conducted by the school district, the vast majority of educators said they would live in town if it were affordable. Approximately 70% of Lockhart ISD’s educators commute from neighboring counties, with some coming from as far away as San Antonio.

Many working-age students in the district skip class to go to work, according to Estrada. Their decision

to earn money during school hours is often borne of necessity to help contribute to their household’s expenses. Estrada says many students take advantage of the grace the schools extend for late assignments.

“We have kids who are saying, ‘My family needs this $500 this month,’” Estrada says. “That’s the reality that our kids are living in.”

THE MANY FACETS OF MENTAL HEALTH

Back on campus, Estrada sees firsthand the issues that need to be addressed—in students and educators alike.

In the past 18 months, the district has had to communicate more frequently with Child Protective Services (CPS) due to higher incidences of child abuse and neglect. Many students have entered the “real world” before graduating high school just to help their families make rent or cover utilities, and some have lost loved ones to COVID-19.

District employees have also experienced the trauma of losing colleagues to COVID-19. Multiple bus drivers passed away last summer from the virus, and several others resigned shortly after—citing a fear for their health and safety.

Lockhart ISD allocated $900,000 toward new counselors, but after coming up short in a search for candidates, Estrada says the district had to enlist the help of a vendor to provide counselors for each school.

Other factors impacting mental health for educators include incorporating recent legislation into the classroom—most notably HB 4545, the law requiring supplemental accelerated instruction for students who do not pass sections of the STAAR. The law has been called “out of touch” by those who are tasked with putting the law into practice. Stoebe notes the expectations can be overwhelming.

“Things change so much—too much,” she says. “As soon as we implement everything we have to do, the requirements change. I never used to let anything fall through the cracks. This year? Well, I get the stuff done that I have to and then pick a few of the other important things to do.

That’s all that I can accomplish.”

Estrada, himself a former educator, concurs: “We’re in the third school year affected by the pandemic. There’s an increased level of urgency to get our students back on track, but [HB 4545] is unrealistic. Teachers are already doing what they need to do to ensure their students are learning and not being burdened by these new laws.”

Alex*, who’s been an educator for over 10 years, agrees there is already enough happening on campus to introduce “cumbersome” legislation.

“We are already stressed with larger class sizes … with that comes the issue of managing a class that big,” Alex says. Staff shortages exacerbate the issue—not only in the classroom but also all the way up to administration. Alex says: “Discipline issues happen every year, but they’re harder to deal with when you also face a staffing shortage. It’s like a revolving door at the principal’s office. Administrators have to expedite everyone, and kids are attuned to when administrators don’t have time to properly address their issues.”

Alex worries these compounding issues will hurt public education in the long run: “The country is very divided,” Alex says. “What we’re seeing is the veil coming off.”

As a veteran teacher, Alex is no stranger to disruptive students or dissatisfied parents, but the preexisting problems that plagued schools seem to be intensified by the pandemic.

Although technology was instrumental in keeping people connected while schools were fully remote, the popularity of social media platforms, such as TikTok, has given rise to disruption on a scale not seen before.

Marcia Glasgow, an English Language Arts teacher in Priddy ISD, agrees:

“Social media has such a stranglehold on young people today. They are inundated with online activities. They communicate in this manner, along with watching videos, movies, and numerous other things. Video games play an important role in many of their lives. Their desire to be ‘connected’ in some way is almost an addiction. Attaining and keeping their interest in classroom subject matter is of major concern to me.”

Referring to the “Slap a Teacher” challenge that circulated on TikTok in October 2021, Alex says: “A lot of the negatives of teaching have come to light. People don’t want to get into a profession where you might get assaulted and have no recourse.”

A PROFESSION IN PERIL?

Alex’s concerns about a dwindling pool of new educators may not be far off. According to 2019-20 TEA data, the number of newly certified teachers fell approximately 19% from the previous academic year.

Teachers need to be treated better.”

— Mark Estrada, Superintendent, Lockhart ISD

According to Estrada, this is the first year in his decade at Lockhart ISD that the district has faced a certified teacher shortage—and not only in the traditionally high-demand positions, such as STEM.

Estrada believes the public perception of education is driving the shortage of qualified teacher candidates.

“Teachers need to be treated better,” he says. “I try to visit all of my campuses once a week to see the good things they’re doing. A lot of what people see from the outside is the negatives. It seemed like last year parents were more understanding. [Now], teachers say parents are not as supportive as they were, or they’re being blamed for not doing enough.”

Administration support is vital in these challenging times—though it can take on different forms depending on the size and needs of the district. In Glasgow’s district, the motto is family first.

“If a member of the staff needs to be absent, for whatever reason, [administrators] are totally supportive,” Glasgow says.

Alex credits his administration with being teacher-centered. “Their expectations are high, but they’ve established a culture of support and understanding. We know why they’re doing what they’re doing,” he says.

In Stoebe’s district, administration has shifted priorities, so educators can focus on more pressing items. “Do we need to each be on three different committees to improve our school and our profession? No. Let’s drop some of the minimally impactful habits that we have picked up. Let’s teach.”

PERSEVERANCE IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY

Stoebe, Glasgow, and Alex are quick to point out the positives. Despite the rapid changes brought about by staffing shortages, new legislation, and other factors that take a toll on mental health, all three still take the time to savor the little things that keep them going.

“According to fourth graders, angles, the Texas Revolution, forms of energy, and Greek mythology are fun stuff,” Stoebe says. “I went into education so nobody would want to leave. Moments like [these] keep me going. And the little random Post-Its that say, ‘I love you, Mrs. Stoebe.’”

“Letters of recommendation—I love doing those,” Alex says. “Just thinking of where they can take the knowledge I’ve imparted is truly rewarding.”

Glasgow says: “The most rewarding part of my career has been the relationships I have enjoyed and maintained with students. I have always searched for common ground with every student. My students know that I care about them first and foremost. Of course, I want them to learn subject matter, but I take pride in them knowing that I was, and continue to be, interested in them and their lives. I maintain contact with several former students and am always happy to reconnect with one.”

GOING FORWARD

As educators move forward through the uncertainty of a global pandemic, the hope for a brighter future prevails. And although Alex worries about the future of education, he says with the right resources, new teachers can thrive.

“A mentor’s experience is valuable to someone who’s starting out. Sometimes those mentoring relationships occur in unofficial capacities,” Alex says. “Those open lines of communication can be lifesavers for new teachers who are struggling.”

Stoebe agrees; she eagerly takes student interns under her wing but takes care to balance optimism and caution when she discusses the future with them. “I want to be positive but at the same time realistic with students who are getting into the profession,” she says. “I tell them [these challenges we’re experiencing] are ‘today’s truth’— not the reality, but the anomaly.”

A longtime member of ATPE, Stoebe’s advocacy for her profession extends well beyond the classroom—including testimony for the HB 3 Reading Academies. She plans to continue her advocacy efforts because “I believe [public education] can be saved. I want to help more teachers find their voice so there is a bigger group fighting for what is right. I have too much to do right now in the public schools to leave.”

As for Glasgow, who is nearing the end of her teaching career, weighing when to leave the classroom isn’t about reaching a breaking point but making a conscious, carefully considered decision on whether she has the spark to continue for another year.

“To truly show the kids that you love them, you must be fully invested in them. So, [every summer] I assess my health and whether I still have the ‘fire’ to teach another year. Some teachers don’t realize when to say when. I will.”

I want them to learn subject matter, but I take pride in them knowing that I was, and continue to be, interested in them and their lives.”

— Marcia Glasgow, English Language Arts teacher, Priddy ISD

IN THE TRENCHES

ATPE MEMBERS SPEAK OUT ON STUDENT LEARNING LOSS AND THE WAY FORWARD

BY DAVID GEORGE  ILLUSTRATION BY JOHN KILPPER

Since March 2020, all K-12 students have experienced some form of disruption to their curriculum. A significant amount of time was necessary for the transition to an online classroom and back to in-person instruction. New teaching formats and technologies had to be implemented with little training in less-than-ideal conditions while still covering the same ground as any other school year. This challenge was met head-on by educators and students alike—but not without enormous obstacles and some unavoidable concessions.

Time away from the classroom had left its mark on students, and lawmakers attempted to address the loss in learning and development with legislation they hoped would hastily bridge the gaps, backed by an infusion of federal relief funding.

When the 2021-22 school year began, ATPE members returned with the hope it would resemble a pre-quarantine normalcy, but instead they’ve found themselves on the frontlines of a crucial battle between these new expectations and a painful reality.

THE COVID SLIDE

Greg Fore, an eighth grade Functional Living Skills teacher in Dallas ISD, recalls his experience: “Last year felt like we were just going through the motions of education. We were trying so hard to adjust on the fly and just get through the curriculum that our students couldn’t get what they needed, and their learning suffered for it.”

The difference between what the standards require and what students actually learn is something that educators naturally track over the course of each semester. Couple that common deviation with the learning interruption of summer break, and a bit of learning loss is expected from students at the start of each school year. This year, however, educators have encountered an unprecedented “slide,” particularly in key areas such as math and reading.

Mandy Vahrenkamp, a second-grade self-contained teacher in Calhoun County ISD, has observed this gap in her students’ growth. “This year, instead of having a few students who are struggling readers and read a year or so below grade-level, the majority of our students are almost a year behind on their reading level, which affects all other subjects being taught,” she says.

Fore says this has been the “worst, most chaotic year” in his 30 years of teaching. “Teachers are leaving. We can’t get subs. We are combining classrooms. It has just been craziness.”

And he isn’t alone. All over the state of Texas, educators continue to encounter enormous difficulties that have compelled many to resign. The lack of resources and now manpower have combined to make conditions even more tenuous for schools to provide students with some semblance of normalcy.

OTHER TYPES OF LEARNING LOSS

Educational learning loss is not the only issue educators face after so many months of virtual teaching. They are also dealing with behavioral problems stemming from the lack of structure and supervision during periods of remote learning.

A 36-year educator, Allyson Haveman is one of five assistant principals at Lubbock High School. She has observed a noticeable shift in student discipline since her school’s return to in-person teaching. “A lot of kids picked up a bunch of bad habits, and we had to reteach a lot of social skills,” Haveman says. “They have become remarkably unfettered—not having that time in school has made a significant difference in their social development.”

This distinct regression may be most apparent in younger students who have spent a significant portion

of their elementary education in a virtual classroom. Often with little to no adult supervision, many students found themselves structuring their own school days in ways they found to be convenient rather than efficient. With the return to physical classrooms amid an ongoing pandemic, many are struggling to adjust, and educators are having to address this “slide” in their students’ social development as well.

Jerrica Liggins, a secondary curriculum director for Paris ISD, is concerned about the relationship between disciplinary actions and student growth.

“Our district is paying close attention,” she says. “When the kids misbehave, we are looking at ways to redirect that negative attention back to learning instead of suspending them from school where they will experience even more learning loss.”

The solution for student behavioral problems has never been simple, but educators now find themselves with fewer options and more ground to cover. Many students have experienced loss and isolation throughout this crisis and addressing both their education and behavior has proven arduous for educators in every grade level.

Shawn Mustain is a science teacher for Spring Branch ISD and in his 19th year as an educator. “I think the pandemic just ripped the Band-Aids off and exposed the ugly truth that many of our students just are not foundationally prepared or resilient,” he says.

THE REALITIES OF EDUCATIONAL INEQUITY

A recent study from NWEA, a research-based, nonprofit organization, shows that gaps are widening for high-risk student populations, and the laundry list of factors that contribute to this are not new or

TEACHERS ARE LEAVING. WE CAN’T GET SUBS. WE ARE COMBINING CLASSROOMS. IT HAS JUST BEEN CRAZINESS.”

— Greg Fore, eighth grade Functional Living Skills teacher, Dallas ISD

surprising. Families that lacked adequate technology and internet connectivity have suffered the most severe learning setbacks, while special needs students and English language learners were affected in more subtle ways. In many cases, what instruction they did receive was diminished by the inability of schools to cater to their situation in a virtual environment.

Lotus Hoey is an ESL teacher in Houston ISD who speaks three languages. She recognizes her ESL students and their parents faced unique challenges with virtual learning, and they were not alone.

“We have a high-risk population of students who have learning disabilities, are low-income, or have other special needs,” she says. “They have an existing equity issue; compound that with 18 months of lack of learning, and we need more intervention.”

From the very first weeks of quarantine, districts had to completely alter teaching formats and make use of existing resources. In cases where student populations were historically trailing their peers, this was dreadfully inadequate. Student achievement gaps continue to grow wider as they experience even more setbacks, and this unfortunate circumstance can be exacerbated by the trauma of economic instability, isolation, and the loss of loved ones from COVID-19.

Mustain, who teaches at a predominantly Hispanic high school where half to three-quarters of students are classified as English language learners, asserts: “The struggles are really tough for many of our students who are having to learn not only English but the language of math or science. How can we expect students, who read four to five grade levels below where they should be, to perform equally with students who don’t have these reading gaps? Yet, they are expected to take the same tests at the same time while being foundationally deficient.”

HB 4545

The 87th Texas Legislature passed the controversial House Bill 4545, which requires supplemental accelerated instruction (i.e., tutoring) for students who struggled on or didn’t take the Spring 2021 State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR). This translates to 30 additional hours of instruction for each subject in which a student did not achieve a “Meets Expectations” or above. This measure aims to plug holes identified by standardized tests, but the extra work has generally not been well received by educators.

“HB 4545 is exhausting,” Haveman says. “It looks really good on paper, but it is still a nightmare. You must have buy-in, and we are not seeing that with students right now—at least not at a consistent level.

“I know it was a data-driven necessity, but the teachers are already pushed to the max, and these mandates are killing those same people they (#txlege) are relying on to put them into play.”

The additional hours of tutoring are a burden that has fallen squarely on teachers’ shoulders, and they are not convinced this approach will have the desired effect. Not only does HB 4545 add to growing lists of additional duties and new initiatives, but also some argue it misses the mark altogether. The learning loss many students are currently experiencing is more extensive than HB 4545 could ever hope to address. Students who have fallen months or even years behind their grade-level curriculum will likely benefit little from tutoring on Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) that require foundational knowledge they do not yet possess.

“I believe that math could be an issue with this approach,” Liggins says. “You have to know how to add and subtract before you can multiply, so if you are trying to learn something out of order, you are going to struggle. Teaching grade-level math in a tutoring session right now is doing more harm than good.”

THE PATH FORWARD

Districts across Texas have received federal aid through Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grants that were designed to fund COVID-19 relief programs and initiatives, and schools are spending this money in different ways. Some have hired new teachers to reduce class sizes or replace the ones that have left. Others are paying third-party vendors to meet the tutoring mandates for HB 4545.

At Pershing Middle School in Central Houston, where Hoey teaches ESL, educators could volunteer to take two full days out of their winter break for a program they call Camp Spark. In this model, ESSER funds

I THINK THE PANDEMIC JUST RIPPED THE BAND-AIDS OFF AND EXPOSED THE UGLY TRUTH THAT MANY OF OUR STUDENTS JUST ARE NOT FOUNDATIONALLY PREPARED OR RESILIENT.”

— Shawn Mustain, science teacher, Spring Branch

ISD

are paid to teachers instead of outside vendors to provide the required tutoring.

“At the legislative level, we need funds to pay teachers more,” Hoey explains. “That will be the most effective path forward. [Educators] are burned out and losing motivation.”

Programs like Camp Spark are a small step in that direction, but more money and more creativity will be needed to even begin to sufficiently incentivize educators. On the other hand, when considering new programs and initiatives, many teachers believe that less is more.

Janet Godfrey, a retiree who has returned this year as an academic support teacher on an ESSER grant, believes schools are trying to do too much, too soon. “What I would like to see is a slowing down of the curriculum,” she says. “There are too many TEKS to hit in one year and gain mastery. This is especially true when we may have to go down to the TEKS from the previous year to help with understanding.”

Many student learning gaps predate the pandemic and have never been fully addressed. As much as legislators would like standardized testing to “leave no child behind,” this method has yet to offer any substantive solutions for student learning inequity.

Vahrenkamp also doesn’t agree with the current approach. “I think Texas should suspend the STAAR test for a couple of years. They have said it will not count for students, yet they must take it. The time we spend preparing for and administering the test would be better applied toward helping students get back to grade level.”

Despite lawmakers’ efforts to capture both the full nature and extent of learning loss with test scores alone, student success has, and will always be, best governed by educators on an individual basis. The most effective way to mitigate the impact of quarantine may be to reduce the scope of

curriculum for struggling students and allow teachers to focus their efforts on solely reinforcing the basics. Fore says that success would need to “… begin with legislators and TEA recognizing that we are in the midst of a pandemic. They need to truly see and understand that schools, admin, teachers, support staff, parents, and students are all struggling just to cope and survive. Schools have been expected to move forward like nothing is happening.”

WHAT TO AVOID

The reality of the situation is that many Texas students will not be at grade level by the end of the school year. Creating unrealistic expectations for their growth as they continue to deal with the trauma of this crisis is not only ineffective but also could be damaging. Much of the

learning loss schools are now identifying will not be erased overnight.

“Schools need to slow down instead of trying to have teachers cover one to two years’ worth of concepts so students can ‘catch up,’” Vahrenkamp contends. “To offset this stress, districts need to stop adding to the ever-growing to-do list. We need to have a way to track growth and show the students’ improvement without asking teachers to put information in a new form every few weeks.”

One huge problem with standardized testing is that it requires students to learn or reinforce test-taking strategies that are not related to an academic standard. This can be a time-suck for educators in any circumstance but is especially rough when they are already working from a deficit.

Godfrey feels that, right now, moving the STAAR to an online-only format is problematic: “The students are playing catch-up, and to test online means a whole new set of skills must be taught. Teachers need to be trained in these skills first in order to enable our students. Pencil and paper are the only way we have tested for a century. Why is this the best time to make a major systemic change?”

A portion of learning loss over the past two years can be directly attributed to students’ having to adapt to remote learning platforms and then transition back to a physical classroom. The critical time that students lose during each change can add up to create substantial obstacles for the achievement of their learning goals.

Mustain asserts that students would be better off if standardized testing were replaced with double-blocked reading or math courses to focus on their deficiencies. “Part of this is attributable to how the State of Texas pushes standardized testing as the be-all and end-all of student learning. Texas officials who seem to believe that we can just test our way

YOU HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO ADD AND SUBTRACT BEFORE YOU CAN MULTIPLY, SO IF YOU ARE TRYING TO LEARN SOMETHING OUT OF ORDER, YOU ARE GOING TO STRUGGLE.”

— Jerrica Liggins, a secondary curriculum director for Paris ISD

FOOD FIGHT:

BY HALEY WEIS

How two Texas school districts are working around the clock to make sure their students are fed

It’s hard not to notice the empty shelves that once held ample variety of cereal, produce, and other products during your weekly trip to the grocery store. A familiar sight for many, the product shortages have become a “new normal” since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. These shortages have affected families all over the country—from automobiles to Applejacks, consumers are bearing the costs in more ways than one. Like families, Texas school districts are having to make the most of the already unfortunate COVID-19 predicament they find themselves in.

THE SUPPLY CHAIN STRUGGLE

Visualizing the abstract supply chain system may be daunting, but as COVID-19 has shown us, understanding the complex systems on which America is built is vital to understanding why and how our everyday life can be affected in times of change. By definition, a supply chain is the sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of a commodity—in layman’s terms, the overarching system of pathways that help products go from the company producing the item to the consumer who purchases the item. Before COVID-19, the supply chain system worked silently—allowing Americans to purchase goods with the click of a button and have the product arrive on their doorstep in a matter of days. In early 2020, the coronavirus completely undermined the American supply chain.

As the coronavirus ravished heavily populated areas that serve as producers of imported goods to the United States, more and more workers creating/packing/shipping these products were becoming sick and quarantined, precautions were being put into place, and fewer goods were made available to consumers. With a depleted workforce, yet the same large demand for products, items quickly went out of stock, and shelves became empty. To make matters worse and back the supply chain up even further, the demand

for goods grew larger than ever before. While people sat in their homes, unable to vacation or travel, many spent income that would have once gone toward fancy restaurant dinners and luxurious vacation spots on goods to improve their living space—the very goods not being produced due to this disruption. Even if the products were being manufactured, the barges used to transport the items sat for days, sometimes weeks, in the country’s ports as the manpower required to unload the items dwindled. This was a lose-lose situation in the eyes of companies, workers, consumers, and even school districts.

SO MANY CHANGES IN SUCH A SHORT TIME

Like a well-oiled machine, Andrea Kilpper, food production manager for Round Rock ISD, works tirelessly to plan menus for the district, coordinate recipe development, and act as the vendor liaison for the department. Day in and day out, Kilpper manages what is served on students’ plates in Round Rock ISD. With the change in supply production, she often finds herself making daily changes to already-planned menus.

“A large portion of what I am currently doing on a daily basis is managing product disruptions and substitutions,” Kilpper says. “This involves determining appropriate substitutions, adjusting distribution sheets and schedules for

our warehouse team, and communicating the changes to our cafeteria managers. We often don’t know what items from our order will fill until the day before the delivery arrives, so it really keeps me on my toes.”

Kilpper and Round Rock ISD aren’t the only ones facing this issue. David Lewis, director of food and nutrition for Arlington ISD, used to send the lunch menu out to students and families a month in advance, but he’s now lucky to send a full lunch menu for the upcoming week. For Lewis, increased communication has become the key to navigating shortages with Arlington’s 60-plus vendors.

“We meet with our vendors and manufacturers daily to talk with them about what they are no longer making, so we can have some substitutes,” Lewis says. “When a vendor doesn’t let you know they’re short and you’re expecting an order to come, and they cut half the product on [the order] and you don’t know it until you open the truck, that puts us in a difficult position.”

Open communication is important for Lewis and his team as they, like Kilpper and her team, make daily substitution plans due to lack of product.

“[This situation] has really revealed how interconnected everything is and how far ripple effects can extend when a link in the chain is broken or disrupted,” Kilpper says.

FLEXIBILITY SAVES THE DAY

As the pandemic progressed into the summer of 2021, Lewis prepared for the school year to start in person. While

getting ready for the year, he began to notice that products he had once ordered in shiploads were diminishing.

“In June, we started to realize, ‘Hey, this is going to be a very challenging year,’” Lewis says.

And a challenging year it has been. With rising prices on diminished supply, Lewis and his team have learned that flexibility is vital during these abnormal times—sometimes even coming into work on their days off.

“There have been days that we bring a shipment in on Saturday because a vendor says they can deliver it then,” Lewis says. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t have [lunch] trays on Monday. We’ll open up on Saturday and take it at any time we can get it.”

Kilpper agrees that some days being flexible is the only option her team has.

“[The shortages have] forced us to be flexible,” Kilpper says. “We thought we were flexible last year, but this is a whole different level of flexibility. It showed us what we are capable of when

everyone comes together and brings their A-game to tackle a seemingly insurmountable problem. There is always a solution—sometimes it takes a different perspective to see it.”

THE COST OF NORMALCY

As schools moved back to full in-person learning, districts worked endlessly to provide some sense of normalcy among COVID-19 precautions. With the new addition of masks, hybrid learning opportunities, and social distancing, education has returned to the most “normal” it has been in over a year. In the cafeteria, however, things were far from normal and becoming competitive in a sense.

“All the school districts were competing for items and looking for items to simply distribute food,” Lewis says. “We’re trying to bring the students back into some kind of normalcy for them to prepare and to learn and to just bring that comfort level back to them, so we are trying to get back into normal operations to do that.”

Going back to normal does have its costs. Pre-pandemic, Arlington ISD paid 3 cents for a cutlery package—napkin, fork, and spoon included. Now, Lewis and his team pay 3 cents for a single fork. These changes may seem small, but they add up when paying for the millions of products the district needs to operate.

“We’re looking forward to the day where we do not receive a letter from a vendor or manufacturer that says, ‘We’re not going to ship you something or half your items aren’t going to come in or we didn’t raise your prices’—we’re just waiting for that one

day,” Lewis says.

The financial costs are heavy for school districts as they foot the bill for necessities, but no cost is greater than the one Lewis thinks about regularly for the approximately 74% of students and families in Arlington ISD who receive free or reduced lunch.

“The bigger cost to me is when your parents and students can’t count on what you have on the menu each day,” Lewis says. “Those costs of uncertainty to your team and your community are much more challenging costs than just a higher cost [for] something that I have to purchase. When your families are counting on your menu as they do their grocery shopping, as they’re trying to plan for their meals at home, whether or not they need to send a meal with their student—you just leave a lot of challenges for them at the home.”

ADIOS, TAMALES

At Arlington ISD, students had about 16 entrée options on a regular day preCOVID-19, with four to five different concept lines. Now, students are lucky to have three options to choose from.

“They see a lot less choice,” Lewis says. “There’s always going to be a choice, but way less choices for students.”

Every school year, the Arlington ISD food and nutrition department speaks with students to acquire feedback on the meals served throughout the semester. This year, students were curious about where their favorite items had gone.

“They continue to ask us for items that we simply just can’t get,” Lewis says. “For instance, we had a great tamale, a lot of students liked it, and the price of those went up $40 for a case.”

As manufacturers and vendors scramble to find a solution for large school district orders, many have resorted to changing their product recipes to make them easier to create.

“One of the favorite meals is our hot, spicy chicken,” Lewis says.

IN JUNE, WE STARTED TO REALIZE, ‘HEY, THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY CHALLENGING YEAR.’”

— David Lewis, director of food and nutrition for Arlington ISD

“Well, the original hot and spicy chicken that they’ve had for years, the manufacturer has changed, so it is not the exact one that students have been getting.”

There is no doubt that students are feeling the effects of the supply chain shortages, whether in changed recipes or the complete loss of their favorite foods. Regardless, dining staff continue to do what they can to create as many options as possible.

“We will be able to provide a healthy, nutritious meal to every student— there’s no point which we are not going to be able to do that—but we need to be extremely transparent that there are challenges out there,” Lewis says. “There are a lot of challenges out there.”

THERE IS ALWAYS A SOLUTION—SOMETIMES IT TAKES A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE TO SEE IT.”

— Andrea Kilpper, food production manager for Round Rock ISD

NOT INVISIBLE ANY LONGER

It goes without saying that the supply chain is no longer the invisible entity it once was. Americans all over the country are now well aware of the ups and downs consumers and producers alike will face in times of uncertainty like the past two

years. Even the youngest students are seeing the impact of shortages at home and in the classroom.

“When we talk to them about supply chain issues, one of the first questions I’ll ask them is ‘Do you know what I mean when I say supply chain?’ and even our fourth graders will be able to say yes, and they’ll be able to tell me things that they’ve seen,” Lewis says.

Unfortunately, even with all the understanding, there is still anger over shortages that have challenged school staff who have no say in the matter. Kilpper calls on others to put these feelings aside and move forward with the dining staff.

“[We want others] to understand what we are facing and that we don’t have much control over what we are able to put on our menu at the moment,” she says. ‘We hope things will level out soon so we can bring some of the variety and more scratchprepared items back to our menus.”

BACK IN PERSON & FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE

July 6–8 | Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center | Grapevine

After two virtual ATPE Summits, we’re more than ready to leave our computer screens behind and gather in Grapevine for the biggest reunion ATPE members have ever seen. Make plans to attend the ATPE Summit July 6–8 to connect with friends (both old and new), grow as an educator and leader, and shape ATPE’s future during the House of Delegates.

Details to come at atpesummit.org

TOP 5 REASONS TO ATTEND THE 2022 ATPE SUMMIT

1 Network with colleagues

Without a doubt, the top reason to attend ATPE’s annual conference is to network and mingle with ATPE members. Plans are in the works for amazing networking events and exciting evening excursions showcasing DFW!

2 Opportunities to shape the future of ATPE and Texas public education

During the ATPE House of Delegates meeting, members not only elect the ATPE state officers but also make important decisions about the association’s positions on critical issues that affect you and your students.

3 Curated professional learning courses

Earn continuing professional education (CPE) credit on a wide variety of topics brought to you by ATPE’s professional learning partners.

4 Latest news from ATPE Governmental Relations

Hear directly from ATPE’s team of professional lobbyists as they explain how to protect public education with your vote.

5 Celebrate you

Kick back with fun, interactive sessions and celebrate the educational and volunteer accomplishments of your fellow members.

AGENDA AT A GLANCE

Subject to Change

Wednesday, July 6

10 a.m. Registration opens

2:30–4:45 p.m. ........... Volunteer training sessions

5–6 p.m. ........................... Opening keynote

6:30–8:30 p.m. .............. Welcome reception and awards recognition

Thursday, July 7

8–9 a.m. ........................... Advocacy Update

9:15–10:45 a.m. .................. House of Delegates (candidate speeches)

10:30 a.m.–2 p.m. State officer elections

11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Region caucuses

2:30 p.m.–completion House of Delegates

Evening .......... Evening excursions (ticketed event)

Friday, July 8

8:30–10:45 a.m. ....... Professional learning breakouts

11 a.m.–12:15 p.m. ................... Closing keynote

ATPE invites you to join us as we visit “neighborhoods” all over Texas. Get an inside look at what ATPE volunteers across the state are doing to recruit, retain, and rejoice with their fellow ATPE members!

In Your Neighborhood: ATPE Stories from Your Communities

Texas A&M International

ATPE college student and student teacher members are the future of our organization. Texas A&M International University gave members the final push they needed to make it through the fall semester with some added sugar. The group held an event at Marble Slab where members enjoyed a frosty treat, received a swag bag full of goodies, and were able to unwind before finals!

Region 10 ATPE

ATPE cares, and Region 10 ATPE wants the greater Dallas community to know it! The region hosted a pop-up event at a local barbecue restaurant where Region 10 ATPE members could mingle and celebrate the final end-of-the-year push. During this event, members were encouraged to donate items such as toilet paper, toothbrushes, and other hygiene products to be given to Vogel Alcove, a nonprofit that supports homeless students in the Dallas area.

Houston ATPE

When Houston ISD held a job fair in November, Houston ATPE showed up ready to spread its wings and recruit the best educators. Houston ATPE volunteer Hattie Mae White handed out coffee, donuts, and important ATPE membership information. The table featured a butterfly canvas that was a beautiful addition to the set-up!

Ysleta ATPE

Every year, Ysleta ATPE holds a toy drive for the children at the Child Crisis Center of El Paso—and this year was another success! Ysleta ATPE members came out to support their local community and give back to those in need during the holiday season. The toy drive also gave Ysleta ATPE members the opportunity to get together, enjoy a tasty meal, and win some awesome prizes.

Subscribe to ATPE State Bylaws Updates

The 2021 ATPE House of Delegates

(HOD) passed a set of bylaws amendments that transferred authority for amending the ATPE State Bylaws from the HOD to the ATPE Board of Directors. The amendments included changes to the member notifications required whenever an amendment is proposed or adopted.

Article XVII, Section 3, of the ATPE State Bylaws states:

Section 3: Notice to Members

(a) Notice of Proposed Bylaws Amendments

The Association shall provide notice of any proposed bylaws amendment by providing a copy of the amendment to the Board of Directors and placing it on the Association’s website. This notice shall occur no later than the following business day on which the state office is open after the proposed amendment has been received by the Executive Director in accordance with Section 2.

(b) Notice of Adopted Bylaws Amendments

Following the adoption of any bylaws amendments, notice shall be placed on the Association’s website the next business day on which the state office is open and published in the first membership newsletter distributed after the Board of Directors meeting at which the amendment was adopted. A summary of bylaws amendments adopted by the Board of Directors shall be provided annually to the members in conjunction with the Association’s annual meeting.

To meet Section 3’s requirements, any announcements related to the State Bylaws will be posted at atpe.org/bylaws. This is a member-only page where you may also sign up to receive email notifications whenever a proposed amendment is posted or has been adopted.

Please direct any questions regarding the ATPE State Bylaws to bylaws@atpe.org

Wanted: State Officer Candidates

ATPE is now accepting nominations for state officer positions until March 15 If you think you’ve got what it takes to lead our association, then we want to hear from you. Contact staff liaison Bret Messer at bmesser@atpe.org to learn more about qualifications and how to run for office. A candidate for ATPE state office must be an active professional, administrator, associate, or retired member of the association and must currently be serving, or must have served within the past five years, as a local unit, region, or state officer within ATPE.

Official Notice of the 42nd Annual Meeting of the ATPE House of Delegates

The ATPE House of Delegates will meet July 7 during the 2022 ATPE Summit at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine. Delegates will adopt the 2022-23 ATPE Legislative Program and elect the 202223 ATPE state officers. Delegate certification information will be published in future ATPE publications. Please contact your local unit president (or region president, if you are an at-large member) if you are interested in serving as a delegate.

This notice is published pursuant to Article IX, Section 4, of the ATPE State Bylaws.

2021–22 ATPE state officers

New Member Benefit Alert: ATPE Wellbeing Packages

The past few years have brought new and previously unimaginable challenges to educators and their families. That’s why ATPE is pleased to introduce a new member benefit: ATPE Wellbeing Packages.

The ATPE Wellbeing Package is available to members for $7.50 per month, plus a one-time $3.95 fee. This package provides access to:

✔ Counseling sessions from the comfort of home. Evaluations are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

✔ The LifeSpeak library of educational videos from the world’s leading experts on mental health, stress management, financial health, infertility, and more.

✔ Prescription discounts through New Benefits Rx, allowing program participants to save 10% to 85% on most prescriptions at 60,000 retail pharmacies nationwide and through home delivery.

✔ An online financial wellness center and the opportunity to call a financial counselor.

The ATPE Wellbeing Plus Package is available for $9.50 per month, plus a one-time $3.95 fee. In addition to the benefits available in the ATPE Wellbeing Package, the Plus package includes:

✔ Access to fertility, surrogacy, and adoption support by WINFertility to guide you through the challenges of a third-party journey to parenthood. Support includes education, resources, and medical discounts, as well as the opportunity to work with a nurse care manager as you explore fertility treatment options.

✔ Caregiver support to help you manage the responsibilities of caring for family members at all ages of life. Support is available through three services: a webbased platform for storing vital medical information, coordinating with care team members, and sharing updates with family; a companionship and task assistance service; and a legal document creation service.

For more information about these packages and to enroll, please log in to the ATPE Member Discounts page at atpe.org/discounts

McMeans

ATPE is saddened to share news of the passing of Past State President Georgia McMeans Dec. 23, 2021. McMeans served as the 1980 state president of the Texas Professional Educators (TPE), which merged with the Association of Texas Educators (ATE) in 1980 to form ATPE. TPE and ATE were both formed by Texas educators seeking an independent, nonunion professional association following the 1976 unification of the Texas State Teachers Association with the National Education Association, a labor union.

Born in 1932, McMeans grew up in the Houston/ Galveston area. She met her husband Russell at San Angelo College. The couple married and moved to Alpine, where they completed their education degrees at Sul Ross University. She taught in Van Horn, Imperial, and Stanton, where her husband eventually served as superintendent. The McMeans purchased a home on Lake Buchanan, and she taught in Burnet for five years prior to her retirement in 1990.

ATPE extends its sympathies to the McMeans family and friends.

continued from page 10—Your Ally

to speak.” This codifies what should be understood: In no situation should an educator put tape over a student’s mouth, even in “fun.” The list also prohibits withholding food. Elementary school teachers need to rethink the common consequence of a student not getting their afternoon snack because of morning misbehavior. Finally, the list includes denial of access to the restroom. Teachers will likely have campus or class rules about when students may be excused to the restroom. These rules can still be applied, but teachers need to be sure that if they are going to tell a student they cannot be excused, they have a rule they can point to and are not denying the student’s request as a punishment.

For more detailed information about student discipline, please visit the ATPE website at atpe.org/student-discipline

The legal information provided here is accurate as of the date of publication. It is provided here for informative purposes only. Individual legal situations vary greatly, and readers needing individual legal advice should consult directly with an attorney. Please note: Rights based on the Texas Education Code may

ATPE ANNOUNCES NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TEXAS GIRLS COACHES ASSOCIATION

ATPE is excited to announce a new partnership with the Texas Girls Coaches Association (TGCA), the largest association for coaches of girls’ athletics in the United States. Like ATPE’s other content-area partnerships, the ATPE-TGCA partnership will expand the professional learning opportunities included in ATPE membership. Look for new content coming soon in the ATPE Professional Learning Portal and at the ATPE Summit.

TGCA joins ATPE’s lineup of existing partners: the Texas Association for the Gifted & Talented (TAGT), It’s Time Texas, TCEA, Texas ASCD, and the Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE).

LEARN MORE ABOUT ATPE’S PARTNERSHIPS AT ATPE.ORG/ABOUT-ATPE/PARTNERS.

not apply to all. Many Texas Education Code provisions do not apply to public charter schools, and public school districts may have opted out of individual provisions through a District of Innovation plan. Eligible ATPE members may contact the ATPE Member Legal Services Department.

continued from page 23—In the Trenches

out of this mess is just mind-boggling and really exacerbates the learning gaps.”

Haveman recognizes this as a recovery year for her students and staff, and she would like to see grace rather than hard-line accountability.

“I have never seen the state of Texas implement anything consistently for five years except for standardized testing. Forget the mandates, and just let the teachers do what is necessary to recover,” she says.

Educators are observing many forms of learning loss in their students this year, and though they may not know how long it will take to bridge these gaps, they remain hopeful Texas lawmakers will hear their stories and empower them to see this through. They know that only in the classrooms—on the frontlines of education—could anyone hope to understand what needs to be done.

4 Things to Know about Using ATPE's Professional Learning Portal

As an ATPE member, you have access to our online learning portal, where you can earn continuing professional education credits on your own time.

You worked hard to earn your teaching certificate. Now, as you work hard in the classroom for Texas students, it’s important to keep up certain requirements for when you need to renew your certificate—and ATPE can help!

Every Texas educator holding a standard certificate must complete a minimum number of continuing professional education (CPE) hours through approved providers every five years for certification renewal purposes. (Visit tea.texas.gov for full details.)

Luckily, as an ATPE member, you have access to our Professional Learning (PL) Portal, where you can earn many of these CPE credits on your own time via on-demand courses.

COURSE ACCESS IS INCLUDED IN YOUR MEMBERSHIP.

Access to the PL Portal is one of your ATPE membership benefits. All you need to do is log in to atpe.org, then head to atpe.org/cpe and click the “Continue to the Portal” option. That’s it; you’re in! Note: Members must access the portal through atpe.org, not a bookmarked link.

WE HAVE MORE THAN 130 SESSIONS AVAILABLE.

As an educator, your schedule is already packed, and completing CPE hours on top of that can seem overwhelming—but have no fear because ATPE currently has more than 130 videos available to members. We have dozens of SXSW EDU sessions going back to 2016 and up to 2021. The portal includes several presentations from ATPE staff attorneys, as well as courses on college preparation, digital literacy, leadership, project-based learning, and social and emotional learning by various partners and members.

YOU MUST COMPLETE A QUICK COURSE EVALUATION TO EARN YOUR HOURS.

After you finish each course, you must complete a short evaluation statement in order to officially complete the course and receive your CPE hours. This is a mandatory requirement for all education taken on the PL Portal, so don’t forget!

1 2 3 4

USE THE EDUCATION TRACKER TO RECORD YOUR PROGRESS.

You can track your CPE hours and certificates through the Education Tracker in the PL Portal, making it easy to maintain a comprehensive history of your professional learning throughout your career. Additionally, you can record activities completed outside of the portal, including practice hours, offline courses, and seminars. (Another ATPE membership benefit!) Records are held for 10 years, and you can access, print, and download your history and course certificates at any time.

Meet ATPE’s

REGIONAL MEMBERSHIP SPECIALISTS

ATPE’s eight dedicated regional membership specialists support ATPE’s members and volunteers in their local communities across the state. Not sure what region you’re in? Visit atpe.org/find-atpe to find out.

ROGER GUTIERREZ

Regions 1 & 2 rgutierrez@atpe.org

CYNTHIA VILLALOVOS

Regions 3 & 4 cvillalovos@atpe.org

GINGER FRANKS

Regions 5–7 gfranks@atpe.org

JOSEPH CRUZ

Regions 8 & 10 jcruz@atpe.org

DIANE POKLUDA

Regions 9 & 11 dpokluda@atpe.org

Regions 12, 14, & 15 mjwaits@atpe.org

JEFF

Regions 16–19 jvega@atpe.org

YVETTE

Regions 13 & 20 ymilner@atpe.org

MARY JANE WAITS

VEGA

MILNER

ATPE Is Here for You

We’re Ready to Support Texas Educators in 2022-23

ATPE is honored to stand by your side, continuing our mission to support you as you work to inspire student success. While you’re on campus, ATPE is serving as your voice with lawmakers, providing individual representation to eligible members, and developing new programs and resources to help our members meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.

In April, we’ll offer Texas educators a special opportunity to join ATPE early* for the 2022-23 school year. New ATPE members will enjoy access to ATPE’s amazing discounts and on-demand professional learning opportunities all summer long. Look for more details later this spring, and make sure your colleagues don’t miss out on all that ATPE has to offer!

Still on payroll deduction?

If you haven’t already switched your dues payment method, we’ll offer you an opportunity to switch to paying your dues via credit card or bank draft during our Join Early campaign. Switching payment methods puts you fully in control of your membership, and the convenience of auto-renew and installment payments are available when you choose these payment methods.

The thousands of ATPE volunteers across Texas are the backbone of this association. Their hard work and dedication allow ATPE to serve the state’s largest community of educators. In this ongoing ATPE News series, we spotlight volunteers who set a great example of service to their fellow educators. NEXT UP: CRISTELA ROCHA, reading interventionist and journalism teacher as well as Del Valle ATPE president.

WHY VOLUNTEER?

When Cristela first began teaching, her mentor was an ATPE campus representative who encouraged her to join ATPE to protect her income and ability to provide for her family. Very soon, however, she began to feel as if ATPE itself were a family, one she wanted to support.

“It was very clear that we are family,” Cristela says. “If we don’t help each other, who would? I never felt like I was obligated to volunteer; it just came naturally. Oh, somebody is doing this—let’s see what we can do to help. Oh, that campus doesn’t have that? Let’s see what we can do to help that campus rep. It became like a family, and I still feel that way.”

That’s why Cristela continues volunteering, especially during the challenges of recent years.

“What keeps motivating me is growing our family and taking care of each other, especially during the pandemic. It is important to not just grow our numbers but also check in on people. There may be a person I have never spoken to, but they are a member. So, I will send them an email and say, ‘Hey, how are you?’ I want to make those connections and remind them how much they are worth.”

LARGEST TEAM IN TEXAS

Cristela never misses an opportunity to talk about ATPE with her colleagues. She even uses her wardrobe to help spread the word.

“Normally my district requires professional dress attire, but sometimes they let us wear a sports team shirt. I always wear my ATPE polo shirt. When people ask, ‘How is that a sports shirt?’ I always tell them that ATPE is the biggest team in Texas. I love my Cowboys, but this is even bigger than the Cowboys.”

ADVICE FOR VOLUNTEERS?

Cristela’s approach focuses on perseverance and kindness.

• “I try to focus on building those relationships within my district, not just with members but also with people who are not members yet because they always have the potential to become a member. I worked with a person who kept asking me what different bills in the Texas Legislature meant. I always directed her to TeachtheVote.org to read more information about them. Finally, she said, ‘I might as well join ATPE; I am always asking you questions anyway.’“

• “Perseverance pays off. You may not get them right away, but I kill them with kindness, no matter what. I believe that is what ATPE is known for: We are professional, we are courteous, and we are kind, no matter the situation.”

• “My philosophy is to try and build our family, make them feel valued, and inspire them to hopefully step up and to volunteer.”

 INTERESTED IN BECOMING AN ATPE VOLUNTEER? Reach out to ATPE Volunteer

Program Coordinator Anna Belle Burleson at volunteer@atpe.org for details.

MY PHILOSOPHY IS TO TRY AND BUILD OUR FAMILY, MAKE THEM FEEL VALUED, AND INSPIRE THEM TO HOPEFULLY STEP UP AND TO VOLUNTEER.”

— Cristela Rocha, journalism teacher, Del Valle ISD