Getting a Sneak Peak at Our Newest Campus

This morning we invited news media to get a sneak peak at our newest school — Baldwin Elementary, located in the far southwest corner of AISD. (I thought I was somewhere near Wimberley by the time I got there, but it really is in Travis County!) Under construction since June 2009, Baldwin will open its doors to an expected 500 students when school starts on August 23, relieving Oak Hill and Clayton elementary schools — two very crowded campuses.


Principal Rosa Peña showed us around, and what a beautiful campus it is. A two-story building on 14 acres, it contains 32 classrooms, a fantastic library, cafetorium, playfields, and jogging track. Designed with the environment in mind, it has rain collection barrels, ample daylighting, and a smaller site footprint. We're expecting to receive a two-star rating through the City of Austin Green Building Program. The site also has many mature oak trees and can offer opportunities for science learning in "outdoor classrooms." The campus has capacity for 700 students, so there is room for growth in future years.

The architecture firm of PageSoutherlandPage LLP, construction firm FTWOODS, and AISD's own Facilities Management Department did a great job of getting Baldwin Elementary designed and built on time and within budget. I enjoyed meeting the construction crew this morning. They're great guys, and have worked hard to get the school up and running. You know it — it's The Power of Us at work. That's them in the photo with me. Way back in the first year, Mackie Price, superintendent of construction, talked me through the plans and walked around in the dirt with me. He also told me about his 12 kids, yes, that is a one and a two. I knew then that growth in south Austin is a very real issue! Whew!

By the way, if your children are going to be Baldwin Bobcats, student registration starts on Wednesday, August 11.

This is the seventh of eight schools to be constructed by the 2004 Apple At Work Bond Program. I want to thank Austin voters who approved that bond election — as well as the 2008 bond — as they have enabled us to build new schools and complete much-needed renovations and improvements to existing campuses.

This new school is named for Ross F. Baldwin, a long-time AISD student mentor, and a successful business owner and community leader. In 2005, he was named AISD's Mentor of the Year, after mentoring children for 30 years at Joslin Elementary. Mr. Baldwin died in 2007 at the age of 82, but his name will live on in the hard work of students and teachers at Baldwin Elementary.

Mark your calendars for the Dedication of Baldwin Elementary which will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 14.