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Teacher time-study finds unsustainable workloads; district plans to protect planning time

Temple Independent School District Board of Trustees · April 14, 2026

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Summary

A TEA pilot teacher time study presented to the board found three main issues—insufficient protected planning/PLC time, excessive administrative tasks, and limited teacher voice—and recommended schedule and operational changes to reduce out-of-school workload and improve retention.

A district pilot time-use study presented April 13 found that teachers in the participating campuses face unsustainable workloads and that protecting collaborative planning time (PLCs) would have the biggest positive impact on teachers and students, presenters told trustees.

Stephanie Hanna, an advanced English teacher at Temple High School who helped lead the study, summarized data-collection methods (focus groups, teacher time diaries and observations) and said the committee identified three recurring themes: interruptions to PLC/planning time, excessive administrative paperwork and a need for greater teacher input on instructional and learning-platform decisions.

Raymond Davis, a fourth-year teacher who co-presented, said the district collected focus-group feedback from 62 teachers (about 10% of the district's teaching staff) and time diaries from 26 teachers (~4% of staff). Observations and diaries suggested teachers frequently work beyond the school day to complete planning and paperwork.

The study team recommended redesigning schedules and staffing to prioritize protected planning and instructional time, establishing clear PLC structures and agendas, and reducing noninstructional interruptions so teachers can plan collaboratively during the school day. Staff described steps already taken: embedding PLC time in master schedules, training campus leaders to facilitate PLCs and launching walk-through feedback loops to refine PLC practice.

Trustees asked about sample size and representativeness; presenters said three schools participated in the pilot and that volunteers helped with data collection. District leaders said the pilot will be expanded and monitored for effectiveness.