Teachers and parents press Midland ISD on pay, staffing, dyslexia supports and student safety
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Summary
Multiple public commenters told trustees about large class sizes, missing PLC time, paycheck discrepancies, delayed dyslexia identification and a retinal injury from a laser pointer; the board promised follow-up and offered private escalation for personnel/pay issues.
Several parents and employees used the board’s public-comment period on Sept. 16 to press the district for swift action on staffing, payroll and student supports.
A seventh‑grade social studies teacher at Alamo Junior High told trustees she currently serves 188 students across seven class periods and said that professional learning community (PLC) time for non-tested subjects has been eliminated this year. "Without that structure, the workload is heavier, less efficient, and ultimately impacts the quality of instruction our students receive," she said, asking the board to "reevaluate staffing allocations so class sizes can return to monitorable levels." Board members asked clarifying questions and offered to follow up.
A staff member, Chelsea Davis, described pay discrepancies she estimated at "thousands" and said HR and superintendent-level responses had been slow; the superintendent and trustees asked her to take the matter offline for a private resolution and said payroll staff were working to check salary verifications.
Representatives of Jumpstart Midland and other parents highlighted concerns about literacy and math outcomes, saying parent surveys show gaps between perception and student data (one presenter cited district figures that 54% of students are not on grade level in reading and 61% not on grade level in math). A parent and volunteer network urged clearer, more frequent communication and said the organization would work with the district to identify needs.
A parent, Toni Tarango, described two separate incidents in which her daughter was struck in the eye by a laser pointer and presented retinal scans; she asked the district to educate families and staff about the medical dangers and to document and review incidents under disciplinary and legal frameworks. "I have copies of her retinal scans for each of you to see," she said.
Board members and the superintendent acknowledged the issues and promised follow-up: payroll questions would be checked by the new payroll director, campus principals and staff would be asked to review staffing allocations and the district said it would work with parents on dyslexia screening and communication access.