| It’s hard to believe we’ll be welcoming students back to school on Monday!👩🏫 You’ve likely heard that districts across the country are struggling to fill teacher vacancies, but we’ve got some promising news. We started the summer with more than 1,000 teacher vacancies, an all-time high. A week ago, that number was 495. As of Friday afternoon, that’s down to 249, and we are onboarding enough to bring us to 95% fully staffed. Know someone who wants to help out and be a sub? Click here.Let’s get to it… |
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| Austin ISD Leader Letter |
| By Ali Ghilarducci ● Aug 12, 2022
Smart Brevity® count: 4 mins... 1083 words
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It’s hard to believe we’ll be welcoming students back to school on Monday!
👩🏫 You’ve likely heard that districts across the country are struggling to fill teacher vacancies, but we’ve got some promising news.
We started the summer with more than 1,000 teacher vacancies, an all-time high. A week ago, that number was 495. As of Friday afternoon, that’s down to 249, and we are onboarding enough to bring us to 95% fully staffed. Know someone who wants to help out and be a sub? Click here.
Let’s get to it…
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1 big thing: Trustees approve 2022 Bond package
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By Jason Stanford
After an 11-month-long, community-driven process centered on equity, the board of trustees approved a $2.439 billion bond that voters will see on the ballot in November.
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Security Upgrades at every Austin ISD school include secure-entry vestibules, fencing, new door locks and lock repairs, and changes to open-floor plans.
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Districtwide improvements include $248.2 million for maintenance of building systems, including HVAC, plumbing and roof repairs.
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Every high school gets upgraded athletic facilities, including competition fields.
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Every bus without AC will be replaced.
Financial Impact: We’re paying millions of dollars in repairs out of the same budget we pay staff with. The more things we can fix with a bond, the more money we have available to raise salaries for teachers, librarians, bus drivers, and more.
25 aging facilities would get what are called either “full or phased modernizations,” including eight high schools ($759.8 million), five middle schools ($417.6 million), and 12 elementary schools ($544.7 million).
By the numbers: The proposed bond package is projected to raise the debt service of the Austin ISD tax rate by 1 cent per $100 in value. Property owners would still pay 5.5 cents less per $100 in value than last year in school taxes if voters approve this package.
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Unlike maintenance and operations tax revenue, bond dollars are not subject to recapture by the state, so every cent of every dollar raised would be available for investment in Austin ISD schools and facilities.
Go deeper: For more information on the 2022 Bond Proposal visit, www.AISDFuture.com
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2. Austin ISD Names New Chief of Police
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By Nayeli Santoyo
Austin ISD Interim Superintendent Anthony Mays recently announced that he has selected current Austin ISD PD Lt. Wayne Sneed to lead the AISD Police Department.
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"Safety is everyone's top priority for our schools, and that's why it's critical to have a police chief in place before the start of school," Mays said. “I would like to thank Lieutenant Beverly Freshour for her service as interim chief.”
Why it matters: Chief Sneed is the first Black chief of police to serve the district.
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“When we start trying to represent diversity and equity, having someone that has a different life path and vision based on the life path is important,” Sneed said, who referenced his upbringing as giving him a different perspective. “I went to school to eat, I didn’t go to school to learn.”
What’s next: Beginning Aug. 1, Sneed will lead a police department of 76 police officers in a time when keeping schools safe is everyone’s top priority.
The bottom line: Sneed knows the Austin ISD community well and has always wanted to be in law enforcement.
Go deeper.
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3. Join the Long-Range Planning Committees
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Austin ISD is recruiting volunteers to fill vacancies on the Long-range Planning Committees.
What to expect: Members will meet at least twice a month throughout the fall to develop operational strategies that are not dependent on bond funding.
The big picture: The LRP is more than pre-bond planning—it’s a comprehensive assessment of the educational experience to ensure we’re creating the conditions for all students to thrive in our education system.
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That means assessing policies and practices that may be producing inequitable outcomes in each of the seven planning categories: Academics & Career and Technical Education, Athletics, Visual & Performing Arts, Facilities, Safety, Security & Resiliency, Transportation, Food Service & Maintenance and Technology.
How we got here: When the committees began meeting last fall, the intent was to complete the draft plan by June 2022.
Now that the 2022 Bond package is approved, it's time to pick up where we left off.
What’s next: Fill out the interest form by Sunday, Aug. 28.
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4. Repurposing process resumes in September
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Earlier this year, we created several opportunities to discuss ideas for new uses for three of our unused or underutilized sites such as Anita Ferrales Coy, Pease, and former Rosedale School sites .
Why it matters: Repurposing these sites can help us address challenges that affect our schools and communities, such as housing affordability and declining enrollment.
How we got here: We heard your ideas on how we can use these sites to strengthen our schools and communities. Now, we’re ready to share the findings of the site assessments and feasibility studies conducted by our real estate consultants.
Go deeper: Read the full report of community input for the first three sites.
What’s next: We’re hosting a series of community conversations to discuss what’s possible before coming to a decision.
Visit www.austinisd.org/repurposing for more information.
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📺 Here’s the first episode of the interim superintendent’s show, Ask Dr. Mays Anything.
😲 'I’m pretty speechless': Austin ISD school board unanimously approves equity-focused bond.” (KUT)
📖 Austin Third Graders Recover on Reading, Besting Pre-Pandemic Scores. (Austin ISD)
🎓 Austin ISD 2021 graduation rates up. (Austin ISD)
📺 Campbell Elementary students grilled Austin ISD leaders on the bond. (AISD TV)
🍎 “Q&A: Incoming Austin ISD interim superintendent Anthony Mays discusses priorities, issues facing district.” (Statesman)
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Ali is feeling a sense of calm now that the emotional labor of getting to an unanimously approved bond package is behind us. Now’s the fun part where we get to tell everyone what’s in it.
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