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 a wrap-up of what was discussed last week. Appetite for a November 2020 Bond? The […]
Education
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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 opportunities to students. KUT hosted the show during Morning Edition to try to answer questions […]
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Austin ISD wants to close 12 schools, expand academic programs throughout the district
The Austin Independent School District has released a plan to close 12 schools and move those students to other campuses. The district is also proposing boundary changes and wants to add academic programs at more than 30 schools. “Change is hard,” Superintendent Paul Cruz said in a letter Thursday to the AISD community, “but it can also […]
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Austin ISD gets B overall from TEA, sees failing grades at some middle and elementary schools
By Claire McInerny & Jimmy Maas Report cards are out, and the Austin Independent School District received a preliminary grade of B for the 2018-19 school year from the Texas Education Agency. But the district also received failing grades at elementary and middle schools in the TEA’s first-ever evaluation of individual schools. Read all of […]
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Parents push back against possible boundary changes as Austin ISD works out school closure plan
The cafeteria of Bedichek Middle School in Southwest Austin was chaotic as almost 100 parents fought for the attention of AISD administrative staff. Some were still in work clothes, some in T-shirts. Almost all of them were asking questions – and sometimes things got heated. A district staffer had to pull a father into the […]
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Austin ISD says it needs more time to announce school closure plan
The Austin Independent School District will not publicly announce which schools it is considering for closures until Sept. 6. The board of trustees had been planning to review possible options at its August meeting. Now it will discuss scenarios at its Sept. 9 work session. In a letter to AISD community members, Superintendent Paul Cruz […]
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UT Austin to give free tuition to low-income Texas students
The University of Texas System Board of Regents voted Tuesday to offer full tuition assistance to more UT Austin students, adding $160 million to an endowment to help cover costs. Undergraduates from Texas who come from families making up to $65,000 will have their tuition and fees covered for all four years. Texas students whose […]
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Confused about Austin ISD’s decision to close schools? You’re not alone.
The Austin Independent School District is in the middle of a process to decide which schools to close and consolidate in the city. It announced in February that the closures needed to happen to help the district’s financial situation; later that month, the board approved the move. Since then, district staffers have been trying to […]
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Austin ISD school board approves raises for teachers, hiring of new equity officer
The Austin Independent School District’s Board of Trustees voted Monday to approve a $1.6 billion budget, which includes across-the-board raises for school employees. The board also voted unanimously to hire Stephanie Hawley as AISD’s first chief equity officer. During public comment at the school board meeting, teachers and district staff thanked the board and the […]
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AISD’s plan to close schools prompts discussion on boosting equity in Austin public schools
The Austin School Board approved its guidelines for closing and consolidating schools Monday night, but much of the discussion ahead of the vote just before midnight centered on increasing equity in Austin public schools. Trustees Ann Teich and Jayme Mathias proposed measures that sought to balance access to nearby schools and boost socioeconomic diversity in […]
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To better market its schools, Austin ISD is turning to Realtors
Two dozen Realtors sit in the bleachers of the Burger Athletic Center, eating pastries and sipping on coffee. They’re listening to administrators from the Austin Independent School District preview the day ahead, which is a six-hour tour of schools in South Austin. The point of the tour is to help families already living in Austin […]
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Here are the regions Austin ISD is using in its plan to close schools
Austin Independent School District announced in February its plan to close and consolidate some schools. Now it has a clear plan for how to choose which schools. To make this decision, AISD administrative staff divided the district into seven regions. The regions aren’t based on attendance zones and don’t match school board districts. The point […]