Tough conversations about racial segregation and economic disparity need to be had before the Austin Independent School District’s Facility Master Plan update is approved, some trustees said at the March 27 meeting of the AISD board. Monday night, members of the Facilities and Bond Planning Advisory Committee, formed in September 2015, presented the draft plan […]
AISD
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North Austin students want to unify in a school divided
Students at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy and Lyndon B. Johnson High School have developed a set of short-term solutions to increase collaboration and improve relationships between the two schools, which are located on the same campus in Northeast Austin. The students’ suggestions follow a district committee’s recommendation that LASA be moved to its […]
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Austin ISD will no longer suspend pre-K through second grade
The Austin Independent School District’s board of trustees voted unanimously to approve a ban on suspending students from pre-K through second grade at a board meeting last night. Trustee Jayme Mathias moved to approve the ban, which also prohibits placing students younger than third grade in a disciplinary alternative setting, except as required by law. […]
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Austin teachers union pushes back on AISD immigration memo
Teachers and principals should not feel afraid to provide information to immigrant families about what to do if ICE shows up at their homes, the local teachers union said at a news conference Wednesday. Education Austin was responding to a memo that Austin Independent School District lawyers sent to campuses Monday, advising them not to […]
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AISD enrollment expected to decline at slower rate
In the first meeting of 2017, Austin Independent School District staff presented mixed news to the board of trustees in its annual demographic report. This report is used to predict 10-year student enrollment trends within the district based on housing and mobility data. At Monday’s meeting, Beth Wilson, the district’s assistant director for planning services, […]
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AISD greenlights new scorecard
At Monday’s regular board meeting, Austin Independent School District trustees unanimously approved the new district scorecard, a steering document that will be used to evaluate Superintendent Paul Cruz’s performance in the future. The scorecard uses new initiatives to promote the desegregation of AISD schools, create data-driven metrics and improve the quality of teaching at failing schools. […]
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AISD backs off city amendment, for now
A potential disagreement between the city and Austin Independent School District board of trustees and staff was put on hold at the AISD board’s regular Monday meeting last week, when a motion to send a letter of opposition to City Council and the city’s Planning Commission failed in a rare vote of 0-4-3. The letter […]
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AISD postpones potential bond
On Monday, the Austin Independent School District board of trustees decided to pump the brakes on future bonding efforts for district schools for another year. At the board’s workshop meeting, trustees met with the Facilities and Bond Planning Advisory Committee to discuss potential bond efforts that would be used for the district’s current and future […]
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AISD drafts district scorecard
The Austin Independent School District board of trustees spent Monday night hammering out what success will look like for the district at the conclusion of the 2016-2017 school year. Preliminary talks focused on the potential use of new approaches to “desegregating” AISD schools, improving the quality of teaching at failing schools and utilizing hard data […]
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AISD has high hopes for restructured Special Ed Department
The Austin Independent School District board of trustees received an update at last week’s meeting on the recent restructuring of the Special Education Department. Board members heard from the new executive director of special education, Jean Bahney, about initiatives that should improve the district’s provision of special education services. According to the latest detailed Texas […]
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AISD HUB policy gets final vetting
The Austin Independent School District board of trustees took a final look this week at the district’s proposed new historically underutilized business program, which is tentatively set to be implemented in mid-November. Contrary to past meetings, the Monday workshop meeting showed trustees to be largely in agreement about the program’s details. While AISD has long […]
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Historic Landmark Commission defies AISD, moves forward with historic zoning for Lee Elementary
Once again, the Historic Landmark Commission was the site of an ideological showdown over the fate of Russell Lee Elementary. And, on Monday night, it was also a face-off between the commission and the Austin Independent School District. Just prior to the commission’s meeting, AISD sent a letter officially opposing historic zoning for the school, […]