District officials encourage masks plus all other safety protocols
(Seguin) — A staffing shortage has forced the Seguin ISD to not only consider but scale back the number of paid COVID leave days available to it employees. The action comes six months after the school district had created a policy allowing for 10 maximum days. However, the latest surge in COVID cases has forced that number to be cut back to seven days – that’s following action taken during a special school board meeting Tuesday afternoon.
The decision to scale back those days did not come easy for the school board. In fact, the recommended decision by administrators was five days. The five-day period they say was in line with CDC guidelines. On top of the 10 days, teachers have an additional five local days and five state days – days that can also be utilized if they have to surpass their now maximum seven days. It was also clarified that these days are only days that can be applied when the employee or teacher is sick and cannot be used to stay home to care for a family member who is sick or who needs to be quarantined.
In bringing the item to the table, Seguin ISD Superintendent Dr. Matthew Gutierrez says the decision was based on what they were already seeing with most of their teachers. He says most were needing and returning after five days.
Most of the trustees struggled with stressing the teachers out even more by scaling back the days. However, they also understood the stress that is also going on in the classrooms when teachers don’t return when CDC guidelines say it is okay to do so. Other teachers are not only having to juggle multiple classes, but large groups of students are having to combine for instruction. In fact, this week, many Central Office employees have been scheduled to fill the vacancies available at the various campuses. Dr. Gutierrez was also honest in saying that although most teachers can’t wait to get back, there have been some cases in which employees are stretching those days as much as possible.
Trustees voted 5 to 1 to amend the 10-day paid leave for COVID to 7 days. Not present for the meeting was Trustee Carl Jenkins. Voting against the decision was Trustee Denise Crettenden.
“I really wrestled with this when we started thinking about it and I just want to make sure that if a teacher does need that extra time to recover, they have it and I think a lot of them won’t need it but if they know they have it, it’s less stress and I know our teachers and our staff are under a lot of stress and whatever we can do to reduce that, I’d like to do that but I know at the same time, all the staff that are out, that causes a stress to the entire system. It’s finding that balance,” said Crettenden.
Board President Cinde Jimenez says while the board was not wanting to make a decision, she realized it was one that not only the Seguin ISD but districts all over are also being forced to make. All in all, she believes it was a good compromise considering the district again finds itself in unchartered territories.
“I think it was a good meet in the middle. I felt as though going from 10 to five would be hard for a lot of the staff and teachers to stomach so I think a compromise of seven is good. That gives them almost 10 days total if you factor in the weekends,” said Jimenez.
Tuesday’s decision also couldn’t be discussed without bringing up mask wearing, and other health and safety protocols being taken at schools across the district.
Dr. Gutierrez says masks have proven to work at least for the Seguin ISD. He says when masks were a mandate, you could see the dent it made with cases and how it slowed the spread across the district. However, he is finding it difficult in encouraging more employees and teachers to wear their mask.
Jimenez was among those surprised to learn that less than 10 percent – if that — of teachers wear their mask in the classroom. Jimenez says the message especially during this current surge shouldn’t only have to come from Dr. Gutierrez.
“Right now, I would like to see every single staff person, teacher wearing a mask because this strain spreads so easily and we just need to be safe. We need to get over this. We aren’t going to get over it if we are not putting forth an effort so I would like to see every single person wearing a mask,” said Jimenez.
Recent numbers showed 30 vacancies were reported in the Seguin ISD on Tuesday. District officials say with retirements at an all-time high for mid-year, there is a real struggle to not only fill those duties left behind but to also cover those positions that are required to be filled while teachers and office staff recover at home.
Along that note, the Seguin ISD Board of Trustees on Tuesday also voted to increase the existing daily rates for all substitute assignments with another $20. The decision was to apply that increase for the remainder of January and at least until Feb. 15 when the school board can again revisit the issue.