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Most Stewart Teachers Won’t Be Back Next School Year

Members of San Antonio Alliance, which represents SAISD teachers, hold up signs protesting Democracy Prep's application to run Stewart Elementary during the Jan. 22, 2018  trustee meeting.
File Photo Camille Phillips
/
Texas Public Radio

Less than 6 percent of Stewart Elementary’s current teachers will return this fall when it becomes a Democracy Prep charter school.

The San Antonio Independent School District handed management over to the New York-based charter operator earlier this year to avoid state consequences for failing accountability standards.

Jeremy Jones, the newly hired executive director of Democracy Prep in San Antonio, said Wednesday two Stewart teachers applied to work there next school year, and both have been offered positions.

Stewart has 36 teachers.

“The principal that we hired is a SAISD assistant principal right now, so she’s going to be leading this school. There are enough elements that are going to provide continuity and leadership that are going to help us grow,” Jones said.

The teacher’s union was an outspoken opponent of the charter takeover, in part because Stewart teachers will no longer be district employees.

SAISD has offered the rest of Stewart’s teachers jobs at other district schools.

According to Superintendent Pedro Martinez, none of the teachers who are losing their job at the end of the school year are from Stewart.

Jones said that Stewart will also continue partnering with Communities in Schools, which provides case management for students under stress.

“I think there are a lot of teachers who are craving this type of thing, so we’re seeing teacher applications rise right now, now that we’re able to kind of tell the story about who we are and what we’re trying to accomplish,” Jones said.

He was a guest Wednesday at a box lunch discussion on a school reform model that supports a portfolio of public school optionsoffered in partnership between districts and charters.

Camille Phillips can be reached at camille@tpr.org or on Twitter @cmpcamille

Camille Phillips can be reached at camille@tpr.org or on Instagram at camille.m.phillips. TPR was founded by and is supported by our community. If you value our commitment to the highest standards of responsible journalism and are able to do so, please consider making your gift of support today.