February 20, 2007 - The Austin School District has begun an initiative that, in future years, will change how Austin classroom teachers and principals are compensated for their work.

The Strategic Compensation Initiative is being guided by a task force and steering committee of teachers, principals, and community and business representatives. Their goal is to create — through a collaborative process — compensation reform that will improve student learning, and that focuses on the three R’s essential to quality teaching — recruitment, retention, and recognition.  
 
“For the past two years, AISD has been examining the issue of compensation reform, which was included in the District’s Board-adopted Strategic Plan for 2005-2010,” Superintendent Pat Forgione said. “Our task force has examined models from across the country and learned from compensation experts. With this foundational work in hand, we accelerated our own initiative this year.  
 
“We believe that this effort will be a catalyst for creating stronger schools — and one that will benefit both students and educators.”  
 
Dr. Forgione said that Austin is pursuing compensation reform “the right way” — through a collaborative process.  
 
“It’s essential for staff to feel buy-in to the process and to new measures that are put in place. That is why our design team includes teachers and principals. Their valuable insight and perspective will enable us to create a plan that will accomplish our goal of improving student learning.”  
 
The Strategic Compensation Initiative is being guided by a Steering Committee chaired by:  
 
• Rick Burciaga - Former Regional President of the Wells Fargo Bank; former Chairman of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.  
• Ramon DeJesus - Member of the District Advisory Council; former Co-Chair of the AISD Budget Task Force.  
• Michael Houser - AISD Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Development & Information Systems.  
• Louis Malfaro - President, Education Austin.  
• Jeffrey Richard - President and CEO of the Austin Area Urban League; former Vice President of Education for the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.  
 
Steering Committee members include Sheila Anderson – Principal, Small Middle School; Kirk White - Teacher, Bailey Middle School; Robin Turner - Teacher, Sims Elementary School; Dr. Ed Fuller - Department of Educational Administration, University of Texas; Julie Lyons - AISD Director of State and Federal Accountability; and David Lussier - Special Assistant to the Superintendent, AISD.  
 
The initiative’s leadership believes that Strategic Compensation — done right — can improve Austin schools.  
 
Ramon DeJesus: “As parents, we recognize that our teachers are working very hard, in a very demanding and changing system. My hope is that through the Strategic Compensation process, we acknowledge that great effort and performance should be compensated, along with advance-growth opportunities to maintain quality classroom teachers in our Austin Schools.”  
 
Louis Malfaro: “An investment in quality teaching is one we know will yield great dividends. Paying Austin teachers more for what they know and do makes sense to parents, teachers, and community leaders who understand that the most critical factor in the educational equation is a highly-skilled teacher.”  
 
In addition, a task force meets regularly to serve as a sounding board for new compensation options; provide two-way communication between this initiative, educators, and community stakeholders; and to review draft policies, communications, and implementation strategies. Its members are:  
 
• Teachers — Cheryl Bollish, Menchaca Elementary School; Cynthia Brewer, Lanier High School; Kirsten Busch, LBJ High School; Pamela Franke, Murchison Middle School; Kirk White, Bailey Middle School; Jeff Jamail, Covington Middle School; Adriene Thrasher, McCallum High School; Robin Turner, Sims Elementary School; Pilar Vasquez, Rodriguez Elementary School; and Nina Wilson, Burnet Middle School.  
• Principals — Sheila Anderson, Small Middle School; Connie Barr, Mendez Middle School; Patricia Fuller, Casey Elementary School; David Kauffman, Perez Elementary School; and Patrick Patterson, LBJ High School.  
• AISD Human Resources — Michael Houser, Assistant Superintendent; and Pamela Hall, Executive Director.  
• Professional Development Center — Merlinda Rodriguez, Professional Development Specialist.  
• Austin Association Public School Administrators — Gail Belcher, Bedichek Middle School.  
• Austin Classroom Teachers Association (ACTA) — Cynthia Knox.  
• Association of Texas Professional Educators — Jim Harrington.  
• Education Austin — Louis Malfaro, President.  
• District Advisory Council — Jane Ross, Co-chair; Adolphus Anderson.  
• University of Texas — Ed Fuller, Department of Educational Administration.  
 
Also assisting are the Community Training and Assistance Center, and Augenblick, Palaich, and Associates, nationally-recognized firms with experience in compensation reform.  
 
With guidance and approval from the AISD Board of Trustees, the Strategic Compensation Initiative is proceeding in three phases:  
 
1. Phase I, January-June 2007 — Planning and design including research into compensation-related best practices nationwide, and AISD staff surveys and interviews.  
2. Phase II, July 2007-June 2008 — Pilot plan and assessment.  
3. Phase III, July 2008-June 2009 — Implementation and assessment.  
 
Surveys and interviews will be conducted to gather input on the areas upon which compensation may be based. The first round of staff surveys and interviews will begin in late February. From this, and other, data a pilot project will be implemented at selected campuses during the 2007-2008 school year.  
 
Dr. Forgione noted that the financial requirements of supporting a Strategic Compensation Initiative must be anticipated and planned for on the “front end.”  
 
“We understand that teachers, principals, and taxpayers need to know that the initiative can and will be sustained,” he said.  
 
For that reason, rather than waiting to find funding once the District has a fully-developed plan, the AISD Board of Trustees, in adopting the 2006-2007 budget, took the important step of allocating one cent of the District’s Maintenance & Operations tax rate — approximately $4.3 million annually — to fund this initiative. The District is also in the process of submitting proposals for federal and state funding to secure additional support.  
 
“The bottom line is this — that we must ensure the financial sustainability of the plan, and we believe we have taken the first steps to make that happen,” Dr. Forgione said.  
 
More information about the Strategic Compensation Initiative is available at www.austinisd.org/compensation.