Education
BY ELLE BENT
Austin ISD rolls out police motorcycle unit As Texas school districts work to comply with House Bill 3—the requirement that all schools have at least one armed o cer on campus—Aus- tin ISD o cials are doing so “their way” with a new motorcycle unit for the district police department. What’s happening? The district is actively recruiting, with the goal of 70 o cers in the motorcycle eet, AISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed said. The o cers will be tasked with tra c enforcement, patrolling and more. Superintendent Matias Segura said the new unit will help attract recruits to the AISD police department and be competitive in the region. How we got here Passed during the 88th legislative session,
Oak Hill Elementary renovations begin Construction at Oak Hill Elementary School began March 19, as one of the four AISD schools that will undergo renovations funded by the $2.44 billion November 2022 bond. The gist The school, located at 6101 Patton Ranch Road, Austin, was constructed in 1974 and was designed with an open-concept oor plan. This means the school was built without doors or full walls between many classrooms. The renovation will enclose the classrooms, create new spaces for small groups and a new front entrance. The project is estimated to be complete in 2025. One of the most important goals and bene ts of the project is to make the school safer, Oak Hill Elementary principal Lori Komassa said in a news release.
Austin ISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed demonstrates the lights and sirens on a BMW motorcycle for the new eet.
ELLE BENT COMMUNITY IMPACT
school district o cials are required to decide on changes to comply with HB 3, which went into e ect Sept. 1. In August, the AISD board of trustees voted to place one o cer at each campus. In order to do so, o cials need to hire 89 additional o cers and support sta . The 70 motorcycle o cers will contribute to that total of 89 the district is working toward, Segura said. Since January, about 25 o cers have joined the AISD Police Department.
AISD looks to cut its $60M budget de cit in half Sta ng cuts and a property tax increase are two ways Austin ISD o cials might o set a looming budget shortfall for scal year 2024-25. The big picture
Key dates to know
May 9: draft of the FY 2024-25 budget presented at board information meeting June 20: public hearing and budget adoption held during board meeting July 25: property values are nalized by Travis County Appraisal District August: board of trustees adopts tax rate and decides on calling a tax rati cation election
Sta ng is slated to be part of the $30 million in cuts, the majority of which will be vacant positions, Ramos said, though there could also be cuts to lled positions. Employee pay will not be reduced as part of the cuts. Aside from cuts, the board of trustees will decide on presenting a property tax increase to voters this November to generate up to $46 million in additional revenue for AISD, Ramos said.
AISD Chief Financial O cer Eduardo Ramos pre- sented the preliminary budget April 4, predicting a $60 million shortfall. District o cials are aiming to cut it in half, he said.
SOURCE: AUSTIN ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
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