Duncanville ISD board approves restructuring of instructional support; replaces 19 specialists with 11 campus coaches

The Duncanville Independent School District Board of Trustees voted 6-0 to approve a resolution declaring a reduction in force (RIF) resulting from a program change to the district’s instructional support model.

The district will replace 19 instructional support specialist positions housed in the central Curriculum and Instruction department with 11 instructional coaches assigned to campuses. Under the plan, Acton, Bill Hartz and Daniel (each designated as comprehensive or targeted improvement campuses) will have a full-time instructional coach funded in part by grant dollars. Each middle school will receive its own coach; the high school will have two coaches; remaining elementary campuses will be paired to share coaches. Instructional support specialists not selected for coach roles will transition to classroom teacher positions and, if assigned mentoring duties, will receive a $7,500 stipend in addition to teacher pay.

District staff told the board that mentor teachers will serve as the teacher of record, co-teach, model lessons, deliver campus professional development and be provided structured time by campus principals for mentoring duties. The presentation emphasized that “no staff member in good standing will lose their job due to the program change.” The administration described the change as intended to place experienced educators “closer to the classroom” to drive student achievement while maintaining fiscal stewardship.

Trustee Savage Martin asked whether affected employees had been notified; the presenter said district leaders had met face-to-face with the group and would meet again pending board approval. The resolution was introduced under policy DFFB (local) language and approved by the board 6-0.

Board action and next steps include implementing the staffing model, assigning coaches to campuses and offering mentor stipends to teachers who take on mentoring roles. The district indicated grant funding will support some full-time coach positions and that principals will manage on-campus scheduling and mentoring time.

Why this matters: The change shifts instructional support from a centralized model to campus-based coaching intended to increase direct instructional impact, while the district expects to preserve employment for staff “in good standing.” The plan includes a financial incentive to retain mentor teachers and a promise of continued communication with affected employees.