ROUND ROCK, Texas — Like many Texas school districts, Round Rock ISD (RRISD) is looking for ways to improve its budget deficit.
One way it's approaching a fix is by reducing the $7,000 yearly stipend for non-classroom dual language staff, like librarians, academic coaches and principals.
"It was very disheartening, especially when you know how hard everyone works to meet the goals of bilingualism," Rebecca Saucedo, a retired RRISD teacher, said.
She and her daughter, Kristan Saucedo, created a petition that asks the district to keep stipends in place because they know that $500 a month makes a difference.
"I've had some friends that have maybe purchased a home based on that, that salary," Rebecca Saucedo said.
Rebecca Saucedo said the impacted staff don't want to speak against the district in public, so at an April board meeting, she and other community members read letters on their behalf.
"The stipend is not merely a financial incentive: it's a symbol of our commitment to fostering linguistic diversity and educational equity within our schools," Karen Hawthorne, a RRISD community member, said.
Some in the community fear the district will lose academic activities like bilingual story time with the librarian or, worse, lose those staff members completely.
"They're going to be drawn to other districts that are not only, you know, giving it to them, but also giving the support," Kristan said.
The petition to save the stipends has over 300 signatures, and the hope is that at next week's school board budget meeting, it'll make a difference.
If not, there is worry that other staff members will be next.
"The budgets aren't getting any bigger, so if we start cutting from, you know, the librarians, are you going to eventually get down to the interventionists, the classroom teachers?" Kristan said.
The district is still deciding how the stipends may change. Teachers and intervention teachers will retain the $7,000 dual language stipend.