Teachers and parents urge district action as multiple speakers describe burnout, staffing strain

Lede: At the May 20 meeting of the College Station ISD Board of Trustees multiple parents, current teachers and a former teacher urged the board and administration to address low morale, workload and retention concerns among classroom staff.

Nut graf: Speakers described large rosters with high special‑education accommodations, increased meeting and documentation requirements, and rising insurance costs that reduce net compensation; several asked the board to delay calendar or other policy changes until teachers’ concerns are fully collected and addressed.

Body: Heidi Duverna, identifying herself as a CSISD teacher of 17 years, told trustees she resigned because of workload pressures: "My roster this year included 106 students, 23 of whom had specialized learning plans such as a 504 or IEP. That is more than 20% of my students and resulted in 171 daily accommodations that I was supposed to make and document accordingly." Duverna said the district’s removal of certain specialist supports and added program requirements forced classroom teachers to absorb remediation and administrative tasks.

Ashley Craig, a former teacher and engineer who said she had been reported to the Texas Education Agency after raising a staffing concern at another district, urged trustees to establish anonymous feedback mechanisms to protect employees who report problems. "Retaliation is real and silencing people is also real," she said.

Several parents echoed the call for action. Meg Anderson and Amy Shielak described teacher burnout, the effects of workload on retention and the practical impacts on families; Anderson said she has heard from teachers who "are fleeing for other jobs." Another speaker, Heather Nicol, thanked administrators who visited campuses but asked the board to ensure staff voices are solicited before approving changes such as the 10‑minute daily extension.

Trustees acknowledged the comments repeatedly and said they will continue to solicit input. Board members and administration said they value teacher retention and asked for continued parent outreach to state legislators on funding concerns.

Ending: Board and staff said they would continue campus visits and return to the board with additional budget and staffing options; several trustees urged community members to continue advocacy with state legislators about school finance and teacher compensation.