Stories by Claire McInerny, KUT
Austin ISD's school year delayed until Sept. 8, first eight weeks could be online-only
The Austin Independent School District’s Board of Trustees voted to delay the start of classes for the school year until Sept. 8. Virtual classes were supposed to begin Aug. 18, but the board wanted to give teachers more time to…
AISD • By Claire McInerny, KUT • Aug 7, 2020
'This is an issue of health': Teachers union demands Austin ISD offer only online classes in August
The union for Austin Independent School District employees is asking the district and the state not to send employees back to school buildings in August. Union members say it is unsafe for employees and children to be in classes together.…
Education • By Claire McInerny, KUT • Jul 9, 2020
Schools in Travis County are not just segregated. They're the most segregated in the state.
Valerie Sterne has always known anecdotally that schools in Austin are segregated. She used to be a teacher and an administrator with the Austin Independent School District, and saw firsthand that students of color and low-income students were all attending…
Education • By Claire McInerny, KUT • Jul 7, 2020
Austin ISD school board approves $1.6 billion budget, after public calls to defund AISD Police
The Austin Independent School District’s Board of Trustees passed a $1.65 billion budget early Tuesday, taking $47.6 million from the district’s reserve funds to make up for a shortfall partly caused by COVID-19 expenses. The budget also includes 2% raises…
Education • By Claire McInerny, KUT • Jun 23, 2020
Here's what Central Texans need to do to not overwhelm our hospitals
We know there will be an outbreak of COVID-19 in Austin, but the severity of the outbreak is up to us. A new report from UT finds that if everyone in Austin reduces their human interaction by 90 percent, the…
Public Health • By Claire McInerny, KUT • Mar 27, 2020
As Superintendent Paul Cruz prepares to leave Austin ISD, his school closure plan remains unresolved
Even though Superintendent Paul Cruz said he’s leaving the Austin Independent School District, the process of school closures that started under his watch likely will not end. But where the plan goes from here is unknown. At a press conference Thursday, Cruz…
AISD • By Claire McInerny, KUT • Feb 21, 2020
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Austin ISD considers opening a school for young adults with autism
A local nonprofit wants to start a school in Austin that serves young adults with neurological conditions like autism. Easterseals of Central Texas is seeking to start the school within the Austin Independent School District. The school would help students…
AISD • By Claire McInerny, KUT • Jan 23, 2020
Chief equity officer calls Austin ISD's school closure process inequitable and 'short-sighted'
School closures and consolidations are not “equity strategies,” the Austin Independent School District’s chief equity officer says in a report released Monday. “They are short-term and often short-sighted approaches to cost savings that are seldom reinvested in programming in the…
AISD • By Claire McInerny, KUT • Dec 10, 2019
Austin ISD equity officer calls closure plan 'racist' before board votes to close four schools
The Austin Independent School District’s Board of Trustees voted 6-3 on Monday to close Brooke, Metz, Sims and Pease elementary schools at the end of this school year. Trustees Ann Teich, Arati Singh and LaTisha Anderson opposed the closures. Parents…
AISD • By Claire McInerny, KUT • Nov 19, 2019
Under new proposal, Austin ISD gives itself more time to consider closing eight schools
Instead of closing 12 schools over the next five years, the Austin Independent School District is now proposing to close four schools over two years. In a revised school changes plan released Friday, AISD says it will take more time…
AISD • By Claire McInerny, KUT • Nov 4, 2019
What's next in the process to close Austin ISD schools?
The Austin Independent School District finished its third week of community meetings to get feedback on its plan to close and consolidate 12 schools. Now, district staff will revise the proposal before the school board votes in late November. Here’s…
AISD • By Claire McInerny, KUT • Oct 14, 2019
Austin ISD says second draft of school changes will emphasize academics district-wide
At a live discussion of the Austin Independent School District’s proposal to overhaul the entire district, school officials said the idea is about more than just closing schools. Meanwhile, city leaders said there’s room to grow to bring more equitable…
