Stephanie Elizalde was clear in her recent State of the District address: Dallas students鈥 accomplishments have happened without adequate funding for education from state lawmakers.
Elizalde, in her second year at the helm of Texas鈥 second-largest district, was frustrated.
The Dallas district was in the process of approving a $1.9 billion budget, offsetting a $187 million shortfall by . At the same time, there was a nearly $33 billion surplus in the state budget鈥攏one of which was given to schools. The state legislature hasn鈥檛 approved an increase in per-student funding in five years, , while Republicans who dominate state politics have set their sights on legislation to start a private school choice program and accused public schools of indoctrinating students.
鈥淒id the Texas legislature fully fund all the new safety requirements that they so intelligently wrote into law? No,鈥 Elizalde said in her April address, according to the Dallas Morning News, referring to a new requirement that every school hire an armed guard. 鈥淒id we make our schools safer than ever anyway? Yes.鈥
鈥淒id the Texas legislature use a nearly to give teachers a pay raise after inflation effectively gave them a pay cut?鈥 she continued. 鈥淣o.鈥
The criticism of political leaders from the superintendent was frank.
鈥淚t was both a buildup [of frustration] over time, and also there鈥檚 all this money in our state, and we鈥檙e putting none of it to public ed.鈥攈ow can that be?鈥 Elizalde said in an interview with Education Week. 鈥淲hat is it that people don鈥檛 get about the value that public ed. brings to the economy in the state of Texas?鈥
Elizalde鈥檚 public and pointed criticisms of state lawmakers stand out against a backdrop of superintendents historically trying to keep the peace with the people who control their state funding.
Past research has confirmed a hesitance by superintendents to engage in politics, and an overwhelming majority of superintendents reported in a national survey last year that politics was the top source of stress in their jobs. That stress can come from high-profile debates about politicized topics, like book bans and LGTBQ+ students鈥 and employees鈥 rights. But it can also come from dealings with policymakers鈥攁 complicated dance of holding leaders to account for the future of public school students and not going too far and tarnishing critical relationships.
Despite the difficulty, more superintendents this year are and to what they feel are state lawmakers and other politicians could relieve as districts across the country confront budget gaps caused by the convergence of the end of federal pandemic aid, declining enrollment, and inflation.
In in December, Richmond, Va., Superintendent Jason Kamras called the Republican governor鈥檚 proposed budget 鈥渦nacceptable,鈥 saying it didn鈥檛 provide adequate funding to support students. And in June, Javier Monta帽ez, superintendent in Providence, R.I., , saying it 鈥渟hortchanges鈥 the public school system by tens of millions of dollars.
The leader of a large district feels a responsibility to speak out
In her April speech, Elizalde also took on claims from politicians that have grown more frequent in recent years that public schools are indoctrinating students.
鈥淲e teach our children what Betsy Ross [the upholsterer known for sewing the first American flag] did, why we have Veterans Day, and the responsibilities of good citizenship,鈥 Elizalde said. 鈥淚f that鈥檚 鈥榳oke indoctrination,鈥 then I鈥檓 the starting center fielder for the Texas Rangers.鈥
The Dallas district isn鈥檛 yet in a fiscal 鈥渃risis,鈥 Elizalde told EdWeek, because it still has money in its reserves, even after pulling nearly $200 million to balance this year鈥檚 budget. But that isn鈥檛 sustainable, she said, and she feels it is her moral imperative to advocate for her schools, staff, and students, even when it鈥檚 uncomfortable.
鈥淚 have some responsibility leading the second-largest district in Texas because people are going to pay attention to what I say, not because it鈥檚 Stephanie Elizalde, but because it鈥檚 Dallas ISD,鈥 she said. 鈥淲hat do I do? Do I go, 鈥業t鈥檚 uncomfortable for me, so I don鈥檛 want to rock the boat,鈥 or do I understand that when I raised my hand and said, 鈥楶ut me in, coach,鈥 I also accepted all parts of the job, not just the parts I like or the parts I鈥檓 comfortable with.鈥
I have some responsibility leading the second-largest district in Texas because people are going to pay attention to what I say, not because it鈥檚 Stephanie Elizalde, but because it鈥檚 Dallas ISD.
Leaders advise: Be clear and passionate, but careful with blame
Andrea Casta帽eda stood in front of a camera, took a deep breath, then hit 鈥渞ecord.鈥
鈥淭his is a terrible and devastating, heartbreaking moment for us,鈥 said Casta帽eda, the superintendent of the Salem-Keizer district in Oregon, to bolster K-12 education funding. Casta帽eda made the video with three other superintendents of large Oregon districts鈥擯ortland, Bend-La Pine, and Medford鈥攖hat, combined, enroll about 20 percent of the state鈥檚 public school students. Each district faces budget shortfalls of millions of dollars.
This year, the Salem-Keizer district is cutting $70 million from its spending and more than 400 positions.
The Oregon superintendents鈥 video outlines each district鈥檚 budget reality. The district leaders are more pleading than critical. Still, the presentation directly ties the districts鈥 budget woes to inadequate state funding and publicly urges members of the Democratically controlled legislature to take action.
That can cause conflict, but Casta帽eda said she feels it is superintendents鈥 responsibility to tell 鈥渢he most honest version of the reality of what鈥檚 happening in schools, because if no one does that, no one will know how grave and potentially dire the situation could become.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a certain gentlemen鈥檚 agreement that exists between district administrators and state policymakers who make decisions about the financial future of schools,鈥 she continued. 鈥淚 think civility is an important part of successful, sustainable advocacy, but there is a difference between honesty and a lack of civility.鈥
It is 鈥渋ncumbent on鈥 superintendents facing budget problems to 鈥渇ind their own way to tell their story,鈥 Casta帽eda said, but it is just as important that they are 鈥渆qually attentive to what you鈥檙e trying to accomplish as you are to what your actions might accidentally damage or break.鈥
鈥淚ndignation feels good in the moment that it motivates us, but indignation and self-righteousness does lasting damage to relationships,鈥 she said. 鈥淪o, be clear and passionate, but be measured in how you are levying blame or attributing responsibility for harm.鈥
At an Education Week event in early May, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona called on states to step up with more funding as tens of billions of dollars in COVID-relief money expires this fall.
So far, however, that鈥檚 not happening in much of the country, leaving superintendents to fight an uphill battle.
After a few years of widespread state budget surpluses, more states are bracing for a downturn in tax collections. As a result, some are either cutting education budgets or declining to expand them.
Superintendents are determined to 鈥榰se our voice鈥
Elizalde, in Dallas, agreed that districts should be intentional about 鈥渁ttacking problems, not people鈥 when making public statements. Calling out individuals by name can take away from the overall message and leave people feeling attacked and unwilling to listen and collaborate, she said.
Conflict, she said, is inevitable, but combat is optional.
It鈥檚 a balance she has spent her entire 30-plus-year career trying to master, with varying degrees of success.
When she served as the superintendent in Austin, Elizalde pointedly advocated for her district, calling out policymakers鈥 shortcomings at the state and federal levels. The callouts got a lot of media attention for a news cycle or two, she said, but policymakers began to tune her out. She wasn鈥檛 accomplishing anything tangible, she said.
Now, with her focus more refined on criticizing problems rather than individuals, Elizalde believes she is best serving her school community.
Still, she understands the discomfort that superintendents feel about speaking out and that she has some privilege as a tenured leader.
鈥淚鈥檓 not using Dallas as a steppingstone, where I鈥檓 planning on being here for a few years then moving on to a larger district鈥攖hat鈥檚 not what I鈥檓 doing anymore,鈥 Elizalde said. 鈥淭his is my last stop, if you will, so I think that does probably put me in a different position than many of my peers.鈥
Casta帽eda, in Oregon, said her recent experience has made her and her peers feel empowered, as if they have a 鈥渧oice outside the board room鈥 that they can leverage to support their schools for years to come.
鈥淲e have a voice that we can exercise that people will listen to,鈥 she said, 鈥渂ecause people care about schools.鈥
