Austin Independent School District students have roughly 98 campus-based summer programs to choose from this year. However, there is no single reliable system tracking program-related student metrics. It’s a flaw that AISD Board Member Kendall Pace said could hinder the district’s attempt to assess equity in the coming months. “We need to get a clear picture […]
Courtney Griffin
Posted inWhispers
CapMetro contracts point to growth
The Capital Metro Planning, Safety and Operations Committee did a good deal of foreshadowing July 13 regarding its future projects. Committee members unanimously placed $8.3 million in professional services contracts on the July 27 consent agenda. CapMetro’s two-year, $2 million pending contract with Freese and Nichols Inc. and Aken Industries is for construction observation work. According […]
Posted inWhispers
CapMetro to redo ACL agreeement
At Tuesday’s Planning, Safety and Operations Committee meeting, members reviewed an upcoming agreement to provide charterlike bus services to Auditorium Shores during the 2015 Austin City Limits Music Festival. The $400,000 agreement uses CapMetro buses and services with assistance from Transco Livery Services Inc. According to the agreement, CapMetro will charge ACL event producers its full operating cost, […]
Posted inResources, Water
Conservation district passes new guidelines
The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District Board of Directors unanimously passed updated rules and bylaws governing 170 square miles of freshly annexed territory primarily in Hays County. The move came over objections from an attorney with Houston-based water supplier Electro Purification. “If you look at the rules, there are a number of places where you […]
Posted inTransit
CapMetro introduces FY 2016 budget
The Capital Metro Transportation Authority’s sales tax revenue stream is expected to reach historic heights in Fiscal Year 2016, which is a plus since the entity’s services are also slated for a hefty expansion as well. On Monday, Chief Financial Officer Leslie Browder unveiled CapMetro’s proposed FY 2016 budget to board members at the Operations […]
Posted inWater
Conservation district releases draft rules
Staff with the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District recently released new rules to govern 170 square miles of unregulated territory. Residents will have a chance to weigh in on them July 16. For the next several months, conversations discussing House Bill 3405 implementation will dominate BSEACD board meetings. The bill, which became law June 16, immediately placed […]
Posted inWhispers
TEA approves new AISD program
Texas Education Agency Commissioner Michael Williams announced Tuesday there will be 19 new T-STEM Academies statewide in the 2015-2016 school year. In the Austin Independent School District, Anderson High School’s Applied Technology Center has received one of the 19 designations. The Anderson Applied Technology Center was a joint project among AISD, the Boys Scouts of […]
Posted inAISD
AISD superintendent eliminates top positions
[gview file=”https://austinmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/AISD_Org_Chart_20141112.pdf”] Austin Independent School District Superintendent Paul Cruz has said that his vision is to “create an effective and streamlined organization that does not duplicate programs and services” during his time in the captain’s chair. That’s one of the reasons he decided to eliminate 11 of the district’s top administrative positions and reshuffle department […]
Posted inRoads
CTRMA approves plush FY 2016 budget
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority board of directors unanimously accepted the 2016 fiscal year budget Wednesday, and it is expecting to have about 123 percent of operating expenditures in reserves by June 30 next year. Chief Financial Officer Bill Chapman said CTRMA is projecting about a 21 percent increase in total revenue compared to […]
Posted inWhispers
AISD changes fiscal year
The Austin Independent School District board of trustees decided to follow a suggestion from their chief financial officer at the last regular board meeting on June 22. Nicole Conley, CFO, stated in earlier meetings that changing the start of AISD’s fiscal year from Sept. 1 to July 1 would provide a seeming one-time bump in […]
Posted inRoads
CTRMA hears SH45 SW impact may be overblown
While many public entities have already voiced their concerns about State Highway 45 Southwest’s possible environmental consequences, a consultant with the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority said the anxiety might be misplaced. At Wednesday’s regular meeting, Michael Barrett presented CTRMA’s board members with an overview of 20 years’ worth of highway stormwater runoff data in Austin. Barrett […]
Posted inAISD
AISD purchases $14 million in devices
Students and teachers across Austin Independent School District campuses will soon see new mobile devices popping up in classrooms, but not everyone will get an iPad in next year’s locker. AISD board members unanimously approved $14 million to purchase 20,000 new mobile devices that will replace outdated equipment. The funds are a portion of the $81 […]