The Austin Independent School District’s board of trustees is balking at the administration’s plan to announce school closures by summer. AISD has lost more than 6,000 students in the past six years, and enrollment is projected to continue its decline. As a result, the district will receive less money from the state. At the board’s […]
AISD
Austin’s largest school district, AISD is the Austin Independent School District.
Posted inTransit
Access to schools highlights Cap Remap limitations
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority knew that its June 2018 network change, Cap Remap, would remove transit service from vulnerable communities long before the changes took place. The eliminations were part of an intentional attempt to funnel resources into frequent service routes across the city. The agency’s own internal analysis of the route changes in November […]
Posted inAustin
Council kicks off new year with measures aimed at affordability
In its first official meeting since the election, City Council unanimously approved several measures aimed at Austin’s growing affordability crisis. In an attempt to increase funding for affordable housing in a rapidly gentrifying part of East Austin, Council approved a change to the existing homestead preservation district, whose boundaries extend roughly between Interstate 35 to […]
Posted inAISD
Task force recommends Austin ISD cut magnet programs, consolidate schools to save money
A task force created by the Austin Independent School District released a report outlining budget cuts and ways the district can bring in more money. Some of the more dramatic recommendations are redrawing attendance zones, closing schools and cutting magnet programs. The task force, which has met several times since June, was made up of […]
Posted inAISD
Austin ISD budget document suggests consolidating 12 schools to cut costs
Facing a shortfall and declining enrollment, the Austin Independent School District is considering consolidating schools, among other options, to cut its deficit by as much as $55 million over the next few years. A budget document sent to the Austin school board shows the district is considering two possible options. One would consolidate 12 under-enrolled […]
Posted inBudget
Local pols examine impacts, options in state school funding debate
Leaders from all levels of government in Central Texas, plus most of the area’s school districts, learned Wednesday that they could be in for budgetary hits if state lawmakers pass limits on local property tax increases without restructuring the state’s funding system for public education. The symposium at the Austin Convention Center saw most of […]
Posted inAISD
Austin teachers fear less planning time, increased class sizes
About two dozen teachers showed up to the Nov. 26 meeting of the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees to voice their concerns about a proposal floated by the district that would reduce the teacher-to-student ratio in middle schools and high schools. The current district staffing guideline for secondary schools is 29 students to […]
Posted inAISD
AISD board approves one Confederate name change, delays others
Eight months after voting to find new names for five facilities named after veterans of the Confederate military, the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees on Monday approved renaming one building, but punted on the remaining four. As a result of the board’s action, the Allan Center, formerly named for Confederate Army Officer John […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: AISD elections with Austin Sanders
This week, Austin Monitor freelancer Caleb Pritchard sits down with The Austin Chronicle‘s Austin Sanders to talk AISD. Listen in below to catch up on the results of the recent election along with everything facing the Austin Independent School District these days.
Posted inAISD
Austin ISD faces unpopular options to fix budget: Closing schools and redrawing boundaries
It’s time for the Austin Independent School District to do something drastic to improve its financial situation, says a member of a task force studying its budget. On the table: closing schools and changing boundaries. “There are some really key things that the district can look at and they’ve known about and quite frankly they’ve […]
Posted inAISD
Austin school board, communities clash over names for Confederate-named schools
The Austin Independent School District’s Board of Trustees will vote next Monday on what to rename four schools currently named after members of the Confederacy. The board will decide between honoring the schools’ wishes, which in some cases means no name change, or choosing entirely new names. The board voted in February to change the names of […]
Posted inAISD
Austin ISD seeking parent input on new sex ed curriculum
The Austin Independent School District is seeking parental input as it prepares to rewrite its human sexuality curriculum. The district hasn’t revised its elementary and middle school curriculum in 12 years. Parents received an online survey Wednesday inviting them to give input on which grade level various lessons will be taught. For example, parents will […]