On Dec. 20, Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees voted to establish a college preparatory, in-district charter program with IDEA Public Schools. The Board voted in favor of the recommendation by a vote of 6 to 3. The proposal is one of six Annual Academic and Facilities Recommendations, five of which the board approved Dec. 12.

The in-district charter program will:

• Create a well-articulated kindergarten through 12^th grade vertical team in East Austin, providing students access to the same strong academic programming available to students in other parts of Austin.
• Offer kindergarten through second grade and sixth grade at Allan Elementary for the 2012-13 school year.
• Expand in subsequent years and by the 2018-19 school year, serve Allan students in kindergarten through fifth grade, as well as all students in the Eastside Memorial Vertical Team in sixth through 12^th grade.
• Give priority to students living in the Allan attendance zone for kindergarten through fifth.  Any remaining seats would be available to other students in the Eastside Memorial Vertical Team, then to students district-wide through a lottery system.
• Give priority to students living in the Eastside Memorial Vertical Team attendance zone for sixth through 12^th grade. Those who opt out of IDEA will attend Martin in sixth through eighth grades and Travis in ninth through 12^th.
• Not replace schools, but rather offer alternative programming in existing schools.

In January, the district will begin working with schools and communities to plan for and implement the recommendations for the 2012-13 school year, which also included proposals to expand dual language immersion programs, address overcrowding in north central elementary schools and create an in-district charter to strengthen graduation pathways.

To learn more information about the approved recommendations, visit the Facility Master Plan webpage at www.austinisd.org/FMP.