Austin Independent School District has released the plan that the Texas Education Agency proposed to improve special education services in the district. Interim Superintendent Matias Segura announced Wednesday that the TEA had presented the district an alternative to a special education conservatorship but shared few specifics during a news conference. TEA officials recommended a conservatorship after an investigation […]
Becky Fogel, KUT
Posted inAISD
Austin ISD making progress on school safety projects included in 2022 bond
Joslin Elementary School Principal ChaoLin Chang walked along the edge of the campus on Menchaca Road in South Austin, pointing to where a 6-foot-tall fence is going to be installed. “This is our existing fence. The new fence will pretty much (be) similar to this, so there’s continuity there,” he said as cars zipped by […]
Posted inAISD
Austin ISD considers adding 70 police officers to comply with new Texas school safety law
Lee esta historia en español The Austin Independent School District is considering nearly doubling the size of its police department to comply with a new state law that takes effect Sept. 1. House Bill 3 is a piece of sweeping school safety legislation that Texas lawmakers passed this year in response to the Uvalde school shooting. HB […]
Posted inEducation
More Austin ISD students will eat breakfast for free after Texas ups funding for school meals
On a bright, hot July day, students trickle into the cafeteria at Akins Early College High School in South Austin. There, they can grab chicken, grilled cheese sandwiches, carrots and peas, fresh fruit and a roll for free. They’re greeted by Austin ISD employees, like Roland Cortez. Cortez, who is the food service manager at […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin ISD is getting federal money to install solar panels at more than a dozen campuses
The Austin Independent School District is one of two dozen school systems nationwide to get a new federal grant to make campuses more energy efficient. Austin ISD will receive nearly $15 million for its Solar for Schools project through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Renew America’s Schools grant program. The district will use the money to […]
Posted inAISD
Austin ISD school board approves deficit budget as recapture payment nears $1 billion
The Austin ISD Board of Trustees has adopted a deficit budget for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. The vote happened a little before 1 a.m. Friday. The deficit was not a surprise. Back in May, the board approved significant salary increases for district employees. The compensation package requires the district to spend up to […]
Posted inAISD
Austin ISD requests review of state’s plan to manage its special education department
The Austin Independent School District announced Monday that it is requesting an informal review of the state’s plan to oversee the district’s special education department. Texas Education Agency officials announced last month that they wanted to install conservators because Austin ISD was failing to meet the needs of students with disabilities. “We are requesting a […]
Posted inAISD
There’s no easy fix to Austin ISD’s special education evaluation backlog. Students are left waiting.
Kathryn Whitley Chu’s daughter was 2 and a half years old when the COVID-19 pandemic began. While stuck at home, her family had gotten used to the way the young girl spoke. But when she returned to preschool 17 months later, teachers and students struggled to understand her speech. “We could understand her,” Whitley Chu said. […]
Posted inEducation
What’s at stake in the Texas school voucher debate
Three terms are coming up over and over again this legislative session: school choice, school vouchers and education savings accounts. They’re all related to the goal of giving families state money to send their kids to nonpublic schools. One of the first steps to understanding the debate over this issue is getting a handle on […]
Posted inHousing
More than 70 percent of Austin ISD employees are burdened by housing costs, survey finds
Lee esta historia en español More than 70 percent Austin Independent School District employees are burdened by the cost of housing in the city, according to an online survey the district conducted this year. Many of the respondents said the high costs are pushing them to move outside of Austin and to consider leaving their […]
Posted inAISD
Austin ISD expects to complete all 2022 bond projects in the next six years
Lee esta historia en español. The Austin Independent School District plans to modernize more than two dozen campuses over the next six years. Some campuses will be partially renovated, while others will be completely rebuilt. The projects are part of the district’s historic $2.4 billion bond program voters approved last November. The voters’ approval allows Austin ISD […]
Posted inEducation
Austin ISD is looking for a new superintendent. The school board says community input is key.
The Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees is hammering out the details for its superintendent search. Trustees held a board retreat Monday with GR Recruiting, the search firm it hired last month to help find the district’s next leader. The meeting was open to the public, and the district plans to make it available online. The big […]