SAN ANTONIO – BREAKING NEWS UPDATE:
The San Antonio Independent School District board of trustees voted Monday night to partner with six groups to manage 19 schools.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The San Antonio Independent School District board of trustees is expected to vote Monday night on whether to partner with six groups to manage 19 of its schools.
SAISD Superintendent Pedro Martinez said the partnerships will be an opportunity for more resources and the 19 schools will continue to be SAISD schools accountable to the school board.
But Shelley Potter, president of the San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel, said she is concerned about the school board agenda being released so late on Friday afternoon and about what the partnerships could mean for taxpayers and "giving away" 19 schools to be operated by outside groups.
"It gives them control of the budget, the curriculum, the staffing, the extracurricular activities," Potter said. "Virtually, just the entire operation of the school will come under these management groups."
Martinez said the 19 schools on the list will have the same principals and teachers, and employees will continue to be SAISD employees.
"I know there's a lot of fears by the alliance and other organizations that somehow this is a path towards giving away our schools. For me, it's just the opposite," Martinez said. "It's actually ensuring these programs are viable, because the challenge now is getting more resources for our schools."
