South San Antonio ISD has informed nearly 40 teachers that their contracts will not be renewed next year as part of an effort to improve academic outcomes.
Eliminating uncertified teachers, raising salaries, painting schools and buying buses are some of the boxes South San Antonio Independent School District’s new, state-appointed superintendent can check off his to-do list after two months on the job.
In February, the Texas Education Agency selected Saul Hinojosa as South San’s leader as part of a state takeover intended to bring stability to a district riddled with dysfunction. Since then, the superintendent has wasted no time in carrying out his vision to transform South San ISD into a model of student success. “My main objective is making sure kids are successful and teachers have everything they need so they can be successful in the classroom — and we’re making hard decisions to make sure that happens,” Hinojosa told the Express-News. In recent weeks, South San ISD has informed 36 teachers that their contracts would not be renewed for the 2025-2026 school year. Hinojosa said 22 of the employees were so-called “temp teachers” who were instructing students without certifications and largely without college degrees. Because of ongoing staffing shortages, uncertified staff sometimes taught core content classes, including math, science, English and social studies, which is “not compliant with the state requirements that every kid should have the opportunity to be instructed by a certified teacher,” Hinojosa said. The employees were not hired through South San’s District of Innovation plan, which allows the district to obtain waivers to hire individuals with degrees who lack a teaching certification. Unlike the “temp teachers,” DOI teachers are expected to earn their certification while working in the classroom. Hinojosa said the district also decided not to renew contracts for 14 “underperforming” teachers. He said the individuals were recommended for non-renewal by campus principals due to their poor performance on the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System rubric. “I have two kids, and I always ask myself, ‘Would I want my own kids in that classroom?’ If the answer is no, why should it be any less for our community?” Hinojosa said. “We want teachers who inspire and engage students and provide opportunities for students to reach their fullest potential.” Higher pay On Monday, at its third meeting since the state takeover, South San’s TEA-appointed board of managers approved Hinojosa’s recommendation to offer more competitive compensation packages to attract applicants for hard-to-fill vacancies. The board approved a $5,000 sign-on bonus and a $5,000 salary increase for special education and sixth- through twelfth-grade math and science teachers. “If you’re a brand-new math teacher out of college, you would earn roughly $70,000 coming in,” Hinojosa said. ALSO READ: Most S.A. school districts can't afford to raise salaries. Which ones are doing it anyway? Under the compensation plan, dual-language teachers will receive a $5,000 sign-on bonus and a $4,000 salary boost. A $2,000 sign-on bonus will also be provided to secondary English Language Arts and Reading teachers and those who have an EC-6 certification allowing them to teach core subjects in elementary school. Hinojosa said the competitive salary offerings were made possible through “difficult changes,” such as the contract non-renewals. He said the board permitted him to advertise the pay increases before the plan was officially approved. In the last month, he said the district has received more than 400 job applications. The word is spreading, and “people want to come to South San ISD,” Hinojosa said. Special education teachers will be the next group to benefit from compensation increases. Hinojosa proposes to cap life unit classes at 12 students per teacher and allocate a $7,500 sign-on bonus to new staff. Over the past several weeks, Hinojosa’s administration has restructured 51 full-time positions, primarily in central office, to free up roughly $3 million to invest in schools. Some of those administrative employees are now working at campuses, and some of the campus employees are taking the place of “temp teachers” in classrooms. As of this week, he said the district has hired 26 quality teachers to provide classroom instruction. 'Our goal by the end of summer, we'll be 100% staffed with all certified and quality teachers because that's what our community expects, and that's what our kids deserve,' Hinojosa said. Better outcomes The board also approved Hinojosa’s recommendation to launch a pay-for-performance system in South San ISD. The district will partner with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching to implement its TAP program, which allows educators to rise in the ranks of various teaching positions — including career, mentor and master teacher — depending on their interests and skill sets. Each rank comes with more responsibility and higher pay. Hinojosa saw success with the TAP system while working as superintendent of the neighboring Somerset ISD. When he arrived in 2007, the South Side district had three failing schools in the state’s accountability system and struggled to improve its academic performance. When Hinojosa retired in 2022, he left behind an A-rated district with five A-rated campuses. READ MORE: Somerset High School receives $50K award, national recognition for academic excellence The fee to implement the program at South San ISD for the 2025-2026 school year is $252,000. Hinojosa said City Education Partners, a San Antonio-based organization focused on improving area schools, has agreed to cover 80% of the cost. In addition to strengthening recruitment efforts, South San ISD is improving its school buildings and adding to its transportation fleet. Maintenance crews are currently putting fresh paint on the exterior and interior of several campuses, and Hinojosa said he is looking at installing new marquees at schools with outdated signage. On Monday, the board also OK'd the purchase of three 71-seat school buses for the next school year. South San ISD Chief Financial Officer Tony Kingman said Hinojosa’s leadership has positioned the district to achieve financial stability while reducing vacancy rates and increasing the percentage of certified teachers in classrooms. “The outlook for next year is really good,” he said. “The district faced a deficit as high as $12 million in recent years, and to be able to balance the budget and maybe realize a small surplus is a major milestone for South San ISD.” South San’s state-appointed monitor, Abe Saavedra, said he will work with Hinojosa in the coming weeks to develop a set of goals to evaluate the board of managers in his monthly progress reports. The former South San superintendent, who has supervised the board in an intervention role since 2021, commended Hinojosa for his efforts to provide local families with the education their students deserve. “I can tell you grass does not grow under his feet,” Saavedra said. “He’s moving very, very fast, directing the district in the right direction, and things are heading in a very positive way.”
Texas Education Agency City Education Partners Somerset High School Express-News EC DOI South San TAP National Institute For Excellence In Teaching TAP Saul Hinojosa Tony Kingman Hinojosa Abe Saavedra New South San Reading San Antonio Somerset ISD South Side English Hinojosa District Of Innovation A-Rated $50K Texas Teacher Evaluation And Support System
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