The Austin ISD Board of Trustees has approved the first phase of the School Changes proposals, which will bring better learning environments and academic opportunities to students, staff and community.
The approved plan includes seven academic supports or programming, which consists of:
- Districtwide Cultural Proficiency & Inclusiveness,
- Academic Excellence: Academic Equity,
- Districtwide Special Education Systems,
- Families-First Expanded School Hours,
- Strategic Staffing of Highly Effective Teachers, and
- Investment in Cultivating Tomorrow’s Teachers at Akins and Navarro ECHS, and
- Investment in First Responders Academy at LBJ ECHS.
Four school communities will also co-locate or consolidate as part of the plan.
- The Metz and Sanchez elementary school communities, which are currently co-locationed at Metz, will consolidate into one school for the 2020-21 school year before moving to the modernized Sanchez. The $25 million new building was funded through the 2017 Bond and will have a capacity of 522 students. Transfer students currently enrolled at Metz or Sanchez will be provided a continuation transfer if requested.
- A modernized Norman Elementary School will welcome students from both Norman and Sims elementary schools in January 2021. The two campuses are in the second year of co-locating at Sims and will consolidate into one school at Norman. The $25 million new building was funded through the 2017 Bond. Transfer students currently enrolled at Sims or Norman will be provided a continuation transfer if requested.
- Brooke and Govalle elementary school will consolidate during the 2020-21 school year and learn in the modernized Govalle, slated to open Spring 2020. The $32.5 million new building was funded through the 2017 Bond with a capacity of 522 students. Students who live south of Lady Bird Lake and are currently zoned for Brooke will now attend Linder Elementary School. Transfer students currently enrolled at Brooke will be provided a continuation transfer to Govalle if requested.
- The Pease and Zavala elementary school communities will co-locate at the Zavala campus during the 2020-21 school year while the two communities plan for consolidation in the 2021-22 school year.
The boundaries in Southwest Austin, affecting the new Southwest Elementary School, Kiker, Baranoff, Kocurek, Cowan and Boone elementary schools and Bailey and Gorzycki middle schools, were approved for the 2020-21 school year. The Board approved the following boundary plans:
- Plan B for new southwest elementary, Kiker and Baranoff
- Plan I between Baranoff and Kocurek
- Plan 13 between Cowan and Boone
- Plan X between Bailey and Gorzycki
Students entering grade 4, 5, or 8 in the 2020-21 school year will be eligible to stay at their current school through the highest grade level. A currently enrolled sibling at the same school of a student entering grade 4, 5, or 8 in the 2020-21 school year will also be eligible to attend his or her current school until the youngest currently enrolled sibling completes the last grade offered on that campus. The Board also directed the Superintendent to freeze transfers to the elementary schools receiving relief from overcrowding for at least the next 2 years, despite their potential available capacity
As the school consolidations will require some facilities to be repurposed, the Board placed a two-year moratorium on request for proposals for commercial sale of vacated properties. A priority of affordable housing for teachers or staff was also identified as part of the approval.
Transition Planning
Further communication and planning will occur with the affected communities during the spring semester as students and staff prepare for the transition to a new campus. Each campus will have unique implementation plans to support communities during the six-to-nine-month planning.
A School Changes Implementation Team will be created for each affected campus or group of affected campuses. The SCIT will be responsible for advising the district on how to support the campus culture and environment for 21st-century learning. The team is charged with supporting the transition of school communities into a consolidated campus. The transition will:
- Nurture campus and community culture for consolidated schools,
- Minimize student disruptions,
- Inform immediate and future facility needs,
- Shape academic program design, and
- Respond to the social and emotional needs of students and staff.
In addition to the SCIT meetings, AISD will hold community meetings to share updates from the SCIT meetings, answer questions and collect feedback from campus communities.