AUSTIN, Texas — Isaiah Johnson became an educator because he believed in cultivating relationships to unlock people's full potential. A teacher of Human Geography and World History at Austin Achieve High School, he also coached football and founded the Black Student Union chapter.
But on Friday, those relationships were severed, after he found out that he would be one of 24 people laid off by Austin Achieve Public Schools.
"I'll never forget it. Was just so somber and unexpected on my behalf," Johnson said.
One of Johnson's first thoughts: what will happen to the students?
"My big concern, out of love, is that they are not going to be seen. My learners will not be seen and will not be understood simply because of the removal of the established relationships that are so essential to their success," Johnson said.
One parent, who did not wish to share his identity, has a son in Pre-K at Austin Achieve Elementary School and is concerned about the stability of his child's environment now that more students will be transferred into his class.
"These kids get attached to their teachers. So you have kids crying in the hallway, they don't know what's going on. They don't know if their teacher is going to get an axe or not. ... It was a toxic environment on Friday. I don't want that for any kid," the parent said.
KVUE reached out to Austin Achieve Public Schools for a comment. John Armbrust, the school's founder and CEO, declined to participate in an interview but said in a statement that Austin Achieve "explored all options for reducing costs with minimal impact to staffing," calling the cuts "ultimately necessary and inevitable," and reductions in staffing represent just 5% of the overall staff. He also said that reductions had minimal impact on class sizes and that most grade levels would experience no impact at all.
Johnson said he still wants leadership to know this, while still honoring the relationships he worked hard to build.
"There is so much love that I feel for my learners, for my players and for my teammates and our staff," Johnson said. "It's a point that I'm consistently brought back to ... the truth is always bright, but it's sharp sometimes, so I'll go where the value is."
Families of impacted classes have been notified of the layoffs and will be invited to a town hall in the coming weeks, where school leaders will respond to community feedback.