Education
Development
BY CHLOE YOUNG
BY BEN THOMPSON
Mixed-use redevelopment planned for North Loop properties
Stipends o ered to top teachers for failing schools Austin ISD will o er up to $20,000 in stipends to incentivize high-performing educators to teach at three low-performing middle schools next year. The hiring e ort is part of AISD’s plan to restart Dobie, Webb and Burnet middle schools and avoid state intervention following two years of failed accountability ratings. “This is going to change how we fundamentally sta campuses in our
Northeast ECHS modernization begins Construction work is o cially underway to modernize Northeast Early College High School and International High School—a 70-year-old campus in Northeast Austin. By January 2028, the joint schools are slated to receive new academic and admin- istrative buildings, community and mental health centers as well as athletics renova- tions and expansions. “These improvements are about creating opportunities for every student to thrive,” Superintendent Matias Segura said at a groundbreaking ceremony May 14. “Every detail matters when it comes to building safe, supportive and inspiring places to learn.” Funding for the $117.86 modernization project was approved by voters in the district’s $2.44 bond election in 2022.
A mixed-use district with thousands of new residences is planned in North Loop o Hwy. 290. The overview Several properties covering more than 13 acres o Airport Boulevard and East Koenig Lane were rezoned under Austin’s DB90 program this spring. Created last year, DB90 allows taller residential buildings with a ordable housing and street-level retail. Dozens of DB90 cases that could bring thousands of new housing units with hundreds of a ordable spaces across the city have been approved. The North Loop redevelopment is expected to begin with the northernmost property now home to the Leif Johnson Ford dealership. Developer United Properties could also seek even greater building entitlements for the remaining tracts before starting construction there. The builder also plans to seek DB90 zoning for an adjacent 1-acre site at 601 E. 56th St.
The details Future construction could bring over 2,250 new residences, 11 live-work units and ground- oor retail across the sites o Airport and Koenig. Other upgrades could include public spaces designed with input from area residents, a grocery retail option and a new pedestrian crossing over the Red Line rail at 55th Street. The North Loop Neighborhood Plan Contact Team supported the project outline. Team Chair Brian Bedrosian said residents support a “complete” urban community with a ordable living and public spaces in what’s now an industrial area. “We have watched other parts of our city grow rapidly with new residential buildings that dilute the character of their neighborhoods rather than enrich them. Rather than ght against a project we feared might happen, we elected instead to lean in and request a seat at the table for a project that could happen,” Bedrosian wrote to city o cials.
Airport & Koenig DB90 rezonings
district to make sure that we have the most highly- e ective teachers in front of our students that are most vulnerable.” BRANDI HOSACK, AISD CHIEF TALENT STRATEGY OFFICER
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Hiring new sta and implementing the stipends is expected to cost $1.5 million-$1.7 million per campus, Brandi Hosack, AISD chief talent strategy o cer said. The district is aiming to hire nearly 100 teachers with over three years of experience at the three campuses. Some current teachers at the campuses may meet these standards while others may be replaced. Teachers who are removed from their positions will be o ered di erent roles in the district. The background Dobie, Webb and Burnet middle schools
received a second consecutive year of F ratings from the state in 2023, according to ratings released by the TEA on April 24. This has required AISD to submit a turnaround plan for each campus to the TEA by June 30. In May, students at the three schools staged walkouts during school hours to protest the potential sta ng changes.
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ARBORETUM 10515 N Mopac Expy (512) 342-6893
HIGHLAND 5775 Airport Blvd (512) 366-8300
NORTH LAMAR 914 North Lamar (512) 214-6665
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