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 […]
AISD
Austin’s largest school district, AISD is the Austin Independent School District.
Posted inAISD
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 […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: AISD school consolidation
This week, Austin Independent School District’s Dr. Lisa Goodnow, who is the associate superintendent of academics and social and emotional learning, and Matias Segura, AISD operations officer, join Austin Monitor reporter Jack Craver to talk about the current process to consolidate some schools, the prospect of redrawing school boundaries, segregation and more. Tune in below […]
Posted inCity Council
Solution to boost revenue for transit leads to broad debate over city signage policy
The Austin City Council will be considering limited exceptions to a city ban on off-premise advertising at its Aug. 22 meeting in order to allow Austin public schools and the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority to display simple, non-electronic advertisements at their facilities, such as bus shelter ads and banners on chain-link fences. The change would […]
Posted inAISD
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 […]
Posted inAISD
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 […]
Posted inAISD
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 […]
Posted inAISD
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 […]
Posted inAISD
Austin ISD removes Andrews principal accused of discriminating against immigrant parents
The Austin Independent School District has removed Andrews Elementary Principal Gabriela Soto after parents and teachers accused her of discriminating against immigrant parents. A group of school advocates held a press conference Monday to publicize the accusations. Parents said Soto made negative comments about immigrant parents and wouldn’t let parents serve on the PTA board […]
Posted inAISD
Activists demand action after Andrews principal is accused of bias against immigrant parents
A dozen community activists assembled outside Andrews Elementary School in East Austin Monday to demand the school district do more about Andrews’ principal, who is accused of discriminating against immigrant parents. The Austin Independent School District is investigating Gabbie Soto after parents and community organizers said she made comments against immigrants and changed the PTA […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Under House school finance bill, Austin would get to keep $194 million more in taxes in 2020
Austin Independent School District would pay $194 million less in recapture in 2020 if House Bill 3, the chamber’s $9 billion school finance plan, is passed. Recapture is the law that requires “property-rich” school districts, like Austin ISD and most other major Texas cities, to pay back a portion of their property taxes to the […]
Posted inPlanning
Bowie High School development plan nullified by new survey
Technological advancements are generally welcomed with open arms thanks to their potential to save time, money and recalculations. Unfortunately, applying these new capabilities to work done almost three decades ago can reveal errors that throw carefully negotiated plans out the door. In 2017, City Council approved a plan that would swap impervious cover from three […]