Teachers tell board overcrowded classes, loss of PLC time are hurting instruction

Several Midland Independent School District teachers told the board Sept. 16 that large class sizes and the loss of professional learning community (PLC) time are undermining instruction and increasing the risk of teacher burnout.

At public forum, Crystal Nastasi, a seventh‑grade Texas history teacher at Alamo Junior High, said she currently teaches 188 students across seven class periods and that her largest class has 35 students. She said the campus now has only two full‑time social studies teachers and that a health teacher was assigned four social studies sections in addition to regular duties. "Without that [PLC] structure, the workload is heavier, less efficient, and ultimately impacts the quality of instruction our students receive," Nastasi said.

Another speaker, Chelsea Davis, identified herself as a district staff member and mother and said payroll problems, position dissolutions and ballooning class sizes are creating additional strain. She told the board two teacher positions had been dissolved at Great House Elementary and that affected classes there will now be about 30 and 28 students. "When compensation doesn't match what was agreed upon, it sends a message that our time and efforts are undervalued," Davis said.

A third public commenter, Reagan Inojos, framed the staffing changes as part of leadership decisions that have weakened morale. She told trustees that resignations and retirements have risen and that some staff feel "expendable, ignored, and undermined." She urged the board to adopt leadership practices that support teachers.

Superintendent Dr. Jennie Howard, speaking later in the meeting during her superintendent's update, said staffing allocations are based on projected enrollment and that district staff will investigate campus‑specific concerns. Howard said principals receive a staffing allocation they may use to prioritize tested subjects or other campus needs and that the district monitors class sizes and will provide a detailed class‑size report in the coming weeks. She told the board the district identified 31 positions for deletion based on actual versus projected enrollment and said many moves will be the reallocation of filled positions rather than immediate job losses.

Teachers who spoke asked the board to reconsider staffing allocations and to restore PLC time for non‑tested subjects so teachers can collaborate and plan. The board did not take immediate action during the meeting on changes requested by the teachers; several trustees asked staff to follow up on the specific campuses mentioned and to return with details.

Trustees and staff said they would investigate the staffing and payroll concerns raised during public forum and follow up with affected campuses and employees.

The speakers' concerns and the superintendent's staffing overview set expectations for follow‑up reporting to the board on class sizes, staffing reallocations and PLC scheduling.