It’s already November, and I feel like a football player at mid-season! When I presented draft facilities recommendations in late September, I said we would need every minute of the game to take these ideas out into the community and to gather feedback before the clock ran out for AISD half time on December 12, when the first season of facilities recommendations for the next school year will be presented to the AISD Board of Trustees.Over the past month, I’ve met with hundreds of students, families, teachers, principals and community members about these facilities proposals. It’s not always easy to talk and think about change, but I appreciate the willingness of so many of our stakeholders to consider other ways to use facilities to support better academic outcomes for our kids.
When I read the various Statesman editorials saying that the district is “moving too fast” with scenarios to address academic and facilities needs in the district, I find it hard to believe that anyone can say that about some of the problems we are trying to address, like alleviating overcrowding in North Central elementary schools and improving the structure of the Eastside Memorial Vertical Team. While I welcome all feedback, what I see from my position is that these problems have been problems for years. It doesn’t seem to me that we have moved fast enough. For at least a decade, the district has struggled to accommodate and support the rapidly growing number of elementary-aged children who live in North Central Austin. The problem dates back at least to 2004, when the district’s bond committee identified the need for at least two new elementary schools to accommodate rapid growth in AISD. The problem has become even more apparent with the release of new census and demographic data. We know that the issue of overcrowding in North Central Austin schools has now reached a point of being a critical health and safety issue for our students and staff. We can no longer afford to put this problem off to another day. While the actions we will propose in December will not completely solve the problem, I know our deliberate actions will help these families.
Similarly, we still face the challenge of low performance in our Eastside Vertical Team and need to address issues that everyone knows have made this group of schools vulnerable: low TAKS commended rates at the elementary level; no feeder middle school; and low high school completion and graduation rates. For at least the past four years, the district has been investigating the possibility of establishing an in-district charter within AISD. Whether people like it or not, I inherited a situation in which the TEA, as part of a reconstitution plan under the state accountability system, requires that we work with “another entity that has proven expertise…to help the District ensure successful implementation.”
The Board took further action over the last school year by revising the district’s policy on in-district charters, giving the administration approval to move forward with a partnership with IDEA Public Schools, and approving the Eastside Memorial Reconstitution Plan that TEA requires districts to develop for low-performing schools. IDEA Public Schools has produced transformative results for children and families throughout the Rio Grande Valley. I know that the District 2 Trustee, Sam Guzman, has his set of advisers which includes parents and other community members who share our sense of urgency about the issue of failing schools. The children in these schools should not have to wait to have access to the same high-quality education that other students in AISD receive.
Since I presented the preliminary scenarios to the Board in late September, my staff and I have gone “on the road” to share the information with the AISD community and to get your feedback. At large community meetings, small group functions, public hearings, campus and district advisory group meetings, and other gatherings, we have presented various scenarios and sought feedback. The responses have helped us to refine our ideas as we prepare to go back to the Board with final recommendations on December 12. Thanks to all of you who have contributed your input and ideas as we move ahead with this process.
This is where we are now, at mid-season:
For the 2012-13 school year, these are the annual facilities recommendations that my administration is exploring, in order of priority:
- Make better use of available space, perhaps by changing the configuration of middle and elementary schools, including pre-kindergarten centers, in North Austin to provide immediate relief for overcrowding;
- Open Two-Way Dual Language Immersion Programs at four additional schools;
- Explore a partnership with IDEA Public Schools to establish an In-District Charter for a college preparation program with first consideration given to strengthening the Eastside Memorial High School vertical team.
- Explore a partnership with Education Solutions to establish a multiple pathways education program for students at risk of dropping out of high school to serve Lanier and Travis high schools.
- Adopt new program designs for Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs at the elementary and high school levels.
- Where appropriate, adjust the district’s procedures regarding student transfers.
- Change boundaries where needed to support any facilities recommendations that the Board adopts.
- Two single gender middle schools in District 1 using existing space and resources.
Two more options, an Alternative Pathways program for graduation and two new single gender middle schools in District 1, were presented to the Board on September 26 and might still be considered for the 2012-13 school year. But they will need more research and vetting with the community over the next several weeks.
These are the proposals we have introduced and are talking to the community about. They are not a secret, and there are no hidden plans. While some of the options we are considering may involve changes to particular school communities, all of the ideas are on the table and visible for anyone who wants to see them.
