Education
BY ELLE BENT
AISD offered alternative to state conservatorship The Texas Education Agency offered Austin ISD a new proposal including a monitor Aug. 30 in place of stricter oversight announced in March due to AISD’s backlog of special education evaluations. The details The proposal would require the district to: • Allow a TEA monitor to sit in on board meetings • Dedicate 50% of future board meeting time to discussing student outcomes • Update special education policies • Complete all outstanding evaluations What’s next AISD has until Sept. 29 to accept the proposal and is scheduled to vote on it Sept. 21, after press time. If rejected, the TEA could impose a conservator, and AISD could request a third-party hearing.
Austin ISD to open child care at closed campus Pease Elementary School, which closed after the 2019-20 school year, will be reno- vated as an early childhood education center at 1106 Rio Grande St., Austin. Austin ISD will work with United Way for Greater Austin and enter into a 10-year lease, allowing the organization to provide afford- able child care for up to 120 students ages 6 months to 5 years old. The center will offer equity-based pricing. Students will be considered based upon: • Child's age • Caregiver’s employment with AISD • Caregiver’s employment status and income • If the family is within AISD boundaries • If the family is experiencing homelessness
TEA levels of intervention
MONITOR • Monitors report to the Texas Education Agency on the activities of the board of trustees or the superintendent.
• Current proposal for Austin ISD • Example: Round Rock ISD, 2021
CONSERVATOR MANAGEMENT TEAM
• A conservator oversees the district and has decision-making power. • March proposal for AISD • The board and interim superintendent stay in place.
TAKEOVER
• A state-appointed management team takes over at the district, removing the board. • Example: Houston ISD, 2023
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
School security law to cost Austin ISD roughly $8M
Doubling the officers
SROs are assigned to protect campuses, while other AISD police officers serve as patrol or detectives.
resource officers and support staff, and prioritize schools by size, need and safety concerns at an estimated cost $8 million per year. To cover costs, the board may approve using money from the school safety allotment and reserve funds. The TEA increased the annual school safety allotment by providing $15,000 per campus and increasing the student allotment to a total of $10 per student, according to AISD officials.
The district will place at least one Austin ISD police officer at each of its 116 campuses. The AISD board of trustees made the vote Aug. 31 in response to the passage of House Bill 3 from the 88th legislative session, which requires armed security on all campuses in Texas. The details The district will hire 89 additional school
Current *
Proposed
43 SROs
132 SROs 89 new positions
171 full-time officers
82 full-time officers
*AS OF AUG. 31
SOURCE: AUSTIN ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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