The Austin Independent School District board of trustees heard advice from a real estate expert Monday regarding future property purchases, including the potential purchase of land for a new south Austin high school. Board members vowed to make a decision by the end of August regarding whether to use $32 million allocated from a 2008 […]
Education
Posted inAISD
AISD educators ask for $24 million more
Employees from every area of the Austin Independent School District asked for higher wages Monday night. The most popular request came with a $24.5 million price tag. As in past meetings, Education Austin, an AISD teachers union, continued to advocate for an across-the-board 5 percent wage increase for all district employees. According to Nicole Conley, AISD’s chief financial officer, […]
Posted inAISD
AISD lunches lead to plea for information
A consent-agenda item to increase school lunch prices held larger implications Monday as the Austin Independent School District strained against projected budget shortfalls in the upcoming year. At their regular meeting, members of the AISD board of trustees agreed to postpone an increase in all student meal prices until they could examine all budget-related items […]
Posted inAISD
AISD remains hopeful about school finance bill
Austin Independent School District trustees received good news Monday: A state bill restructuring school finance, House Bill 1759, still has wind in its sails. In the hour-plus monthly meeting with staff, AISD Intergovernmental Relations Committee members heard updates on several key state legislative items that might affect the district if passed. Staff has tracked more than […]
Posted inAISD, Budget, Education, Texas State Legislature
AISD, others ask state for $3 billion in new funding
Three members from the Austin Independent School District board stood with more than 20 other school districts at the State Capitol on Wednesday to ask legislators for $3 billion in additional statewide school funding. “For AISD, this figure is vital,” said District 2 Board Member Jayme Mathias. “AISD in the past month has slipped to […]
Posted inAISD
New AISD group to tackle Austin High traffic
This summer, a new interlocal group will propose a solution to address the traffic problems that are expected to slam Austin High School in coming years. At the Austin Independent School District’s Board Dialogue meeting, trustees directed administration to create a working group to address the school’s looming traffic issues. The working group will consist […]
Posted inAISD, Austin, Monitor News & Media, Radio
Why Texas isn’t paying for what it wants from Austin’s classrooms: Audio from KUT
Travis County and the City of Austin take part in a regular fiscal dance with the State of Texas over who pays the costs of government. Over the three days, KUT News and the Austin Monitor looked at key examples of that interaction in our series, “The Buck Starts Here.” Today, we take on education. […]
Posted inAISD, Education, Texas State Legislature
Why Texas isn’t paying for what it wants from Austin’s classrooms
Travis County and the City of Austin take part in a regular fiscal dance with the State of Texas over who pays the costs of government. Over the next three days, KUT News and the Austin Monitor will look at key examples of that interaction in our series, “The Buck Starts Here.” Today, we take […]
Posted inAISD
AISD board reacts to threat from charter schools
Austin Independent School District board members have urgently requested a policy change that would curtail area charter school districts’ access to student information. At the board’s dialogue meeting last Monday, members learned that nearby charter schools have been filing Public Information Act requests with AISD to get student information. The schools then sent students informational […]
Posted inAISD
AISD board discusses student transfer changes
Austin Independent School District board members approached student transfer policies last Monday with a scalpel instead of a sledgehammer, with the goal of trying to ease high enrollment in certain schools. After much discussion, they ended the meeting with an acknowledgment that they had a lot more work to do. Board members took the lead […]
Posted inAISD, Austin, Monitor News & Media, Radio
Austin Monitor Radio: AISD Trustee Paul Saldana
AISD Trustee Paul Saldana joins Monitor publisher Mike Kanin and reporter Courtney Griffin to talk system equity, resources, and more. Sponsored by Kerbey Lane Cafe. Audio is embedded below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/200224709″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Posted inAISD
AISD cautiously expands dual language program
The Austin Independent School District board of trustees decided Monday to extend its dual English and Spanish language program to two additional middle schools, but not before criticizing the administration’s lack of evidence supporting the expansion and a faulty application process. The board voted 6-3 at its regular meeting to have Lamar and Paredes join […]