Katy McElroy

The Austin Independent School District has received a grant from the Criminal Justice Division of the Office of the Governor. The funds are from the federal Victims of Crime Assistance Act of 1984 and AISD is the first district in Texas to receive money from this source. The district is getting almost $4.5 million “to […]

The holidays are here! All offices and schools in the Austin Independent School District will be closed today, Dec. 20, through Monday, Jan. 1. Staff will return to work on Tuesday, Jan. 2, and classes resume on Wednesday, Jan. 3. AISD’s Department of Communications and Community Engagement will also be closed for the holidays; therefore, […]

Austin Independent School District Chief Financial Officer Nicole Conley Johnson has a new responsibility: member of the Texas Commission on Public School Finance. The commission was created this year by the Texas Legislature during its special session. The 13 members of the commission are appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the House […]

The Texas Legislature passed House Bill 22 this session, which established a pilot program for schools to create their own individual accountability systems. Twenty school districts will be participating in the pilot, and Austin Independent School District has been named one of them. Joining Austin are Alief, Bullard, Canadian, Clear Creek, Dallas, El Paso, Humble, […]

The Travis County Commissioners Court voted on Tuesday to name Shannon Jones, former director of Austin Public Health, to replace outgoing longtime Board Member Clarke Heidrick on the Central Health Board of Managers after his position is vacated on Dec. 31. Heidrick has been a member of Central Health since its creation, and he was […]

The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center is hosting an interactive community forum to gather input on 2018’s Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz: A Tribute to Women event. Held for the first time in 2009 in partnership with the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, the event has been a yearly occurrence […]

Austin is in the process of updating its rules regarding cemeteries, and they are almost ready. The Parks and Recreation Department created its first draft after reviewing current rules and policies regarding cemeteries along with recommendations from the 2015 Cemetery Rules Project Report. This draft was then reviewed internally and by the city Law Department. After this, […]

Mayor Steve Adler joined 57 other mayors and county elected officials yesterday in signing a letter opposing the Restoring Internet Freedom Draft Order. The proposal was made by Federal Communications Commission Chair Ajit Pai, who seeks to dismantle net neutrality protections put in place during the Obama administration. Pai was appointed to the FCC by former […]

The Austin Independent School District Science team, along with nonprofit JASON Learning and the Watershed Protection Department, is hosting a hackathon for elementary and middle school students this Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students from AISD and surrounding districts will be guided by mentors to use the MIT App Inventor to develop applications […]

The City of Austin Digital Services Team is giving www.austintexas.gov a makeover, and it needs your help to test it out. First, fill out this five-minute survey, then sit back and wait. Not everyone who fills out the survey will be chosen as a tester because the city is going to create a panel of testers […]

The “Stuff the Bus” food drive is back the weekend of Dec. 8-10 to collect healthy, nonperishable food for those who need it over the holidays. A joint effort by Capital Metro, Whole Foods Market and the Central Texas Food Bank, this is the sixth year of the event. The theme this year is “There’s […]

The city of Austin wants its artists to learn how to make a living doing what they love. That’s the focus of a new six-week training program put on by the Economic Development Department. The press release states that “(l)ocal arts professionals and subject matter experts” will lead the Artist Career Training Program, along with city […]