School’s out and we’re in full graduation mode!
This week, we celebrated the incredible accomplishments of our seniors at Garza Independence High School, Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, Rosedale School, McCallum High School, Crockett Early College High School, and Bowie High School. Congratulations to all the graduates!
We’re also celebrating progress beyond the stage: Austin ISD broke ground on seven new modernization projects and hosted the first ribbon-cutting ceremony at Odom Elementary School as part of the 2022 Bond.
Check out the latest construction footage and campus updates.
Now, let’s get started…
This summer, Austin ISD is helping local families keep their kids healthy and energized by offering free summer meals at more than 30 schools.
The details: All children 18 and under — plus enrolled students with disabilities up to age 21 — are eligible to receive nutritious breakfasts and lunches at no cost.
No registration or ID is required — and kids do not need to be enrolled in Austin ISD to participate. Just show up during meal service times and enjoy breakfast or lunch in the cafeteria. Meals must be eaten on site.
Participating Campuses: Elementary Schools: Allison, Andrews, Blazier Intermediate, Campbell, Galindo, Govalle, Guerrero-Thompson, Harris at Sims, Houston, Kocurek, Menchaca, Norman-Sims, Overton, Padron, T.A. Brown, Uphaus ECC, Walnut Creek
Middle Schools: Burnet, Covington, Garcia YMLA, Kealing, Lively, Mendez
High Schools: Akins, Anderson, Eastside, LBJ, McCallum, Northeast, Travis
Other Campus: Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders
What they're saying: “When school is out, many families lose a reliable source of daily nutrition,” said Ryan Mikolaycik, Executive Director of Food Service and Warehouse Operations. “These summer meals help bridge that gap, keeping our children nourished, supported, and ready to thrive.”
Why it matters: The summer meal program is a federally funded initiative overseen locally by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). Austin ISD is proud to partner with TDA to serve meals at schools with summer programming located in areas where more than 50% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch during the school year.
Families can easily find free meal sites by:
Calling 2-1-1 to speak with an operator.
Visiting www.SummerFood.org.
Checking the Austin ISD website for campus-specific details.
To note: Austin ISD will not serve meals while district offices and campuses are closed June 19 and June 30-July 4. All summer meal sites, dates, and times are subject to change.
To streamline systems and respond to budget constraints, Austin ISD is sunsetting Let’s Talk on June 30.
What’s next: We will be transitioning to AISD Help for general questions and concerns, and to Speak Up — a Gaggle product — for anonymous reporting. Both AISD Help and Speak Up come at no additional cost to the district as they are tools already used in other capacities.
How it works: Staff, families and trustees will submit questions through the AISD Help tile in the Austin ISD portal, while community members without portal access can use a webform on the district website.
The webform experience will mimic the current Let’s Talk setup with buttons for various categories; however, AISD Help does not have a text feature.
Speak up will replace the current anonymous tips linked at the top of our Austin ISD website. Messages will be fielded in the same manner as Gaggle monitoring with a crisis response team reviewing messages and any messages with concerning key words will be routed automatically to our 24-hour Austin ISD Police Dispatch.
What’s Next: Let’s Talk users will begin receiving auto-replies alerting them of this change beginning in June.
The bottom line: There will still be a way to connect with the district and get your questions answered. Stay tuned for more details as we get closer to the transition.
Editor's Note: This article was featured in the latest edition of the Leader Letter by Joy Diaz.
Was it Greek Philosopher Heraclitus who said “the only constant in life is change”?
I’ve been with Austin ISD for a little over two years and even in this short period of time, change has been a constant. One thing I’m proud of is that upcoming changes are not arbitrary, they are purposeful.
Take for instance Pease Elementary. It will soon be celebrating its 150th anniversary! Picture this — the school existed even before Austin ISD existed! That was so long ago that its land belonged to the REPUBLIC of TEXAS. If you were to visit, you could touch some of the original walls that date back to 1876. This school survived a fire and educated soldiers who served in World War I and World War II. It’s so close to the capitol building that it has seen protestors advocate for all sorts of things — from farmworker rights in 1966 to Black Lives Matter in 2020 at the height of COVID.
Well, now Pease will start providing childcare through United Way because that’s the best use for that building at this point in history.
What a legacy!
Just as Pease is a connector between the past and the present, the Alternative Learning Center is a connector between the present and the future.
The ALC serves children from all over Austin who arrive at the school for a variety of reasons, including social and disciplinary challenges at their home schools.
The ALC is tiny and has been housed at the former Anita Ferrales Coy campus — a piece of land on Gonzalez Street not far from East 7th that will soon become Austin ISD’s first multifamily housing community in partnership with the NRP Group.
While construction is underway, the ALC and a couple of other district partners will temporarily move to Mendez Middle School in South East Austin.
But how can several small schools live in one campus? One way we’ve been talking about it is by comparing it to a community of duplexes, where several families with different routines, different cultures, different schedules, live on the same piece of land but with the privacy of their own space.
Talking about “their own space” I must confess how much I love visiting the new Rosedale school. I was there earlier this month! It is a school perfectly built for children who are medically fragile and it is their own space through and through — it even has its own tiny hospital on-site!
The Austin ISD Board of Trustees recently said the district should sell the old Rosedale school. If you are following budget developments, you may remember the school district has a deficit of more than $100 million. But, there is a possibility of obtaining upwards of $40 million by selling some properties. It is not the way Austin ISD normally likes to deal with its properties because a sale only represents a one time gain; however, public school budgets in Texas are so tight at the moment that other districts are also selling properties to buy them some time for more intentional budget decisions.
You know, when I think about Austin ISD, a school district that is 144 years old, I realize many, many changes have taken place during that time. Austin ISD has seen periods of prosperity and periods of scarcity. It has seen demographic changes and technological changes. The district of yesterday is no longer the district of today and it definitely is not the district of tomorrow. But if there is one thing that will not change is Austin ISD’s commitment to educate and serve Austin’s children. Because in our lives, the only constant is a passion for the transformative power of education.
//Joy Díaz
Northeast Early College High School senior Odette Rodriguez is headed to the University of Texas at Austin this fall, where she’ll pursue a dual degree in Architecture and Architectural Engineering, completely free of cost, thanks to the Terry Foundation Scholarship and additional awards.
Why it matters: Odette moved from Mexico City in 10th grade. Adjusting to a new country and school system wasn’t easy, but she rose to the top, graduating in the top five students in her class!
What they are saying: “Moving to a new country was a big transition,” Odette said. “But it shaped who I am today.”
At Northeast, Odette was a standout student-athlete, playing varsity volleyball, cross country, track and field, and serving as captain of the varsity tennis team. She also joined the Student Equity Council, Prom Committee, and National Honor Society to stay active in her campus community.
What’s next: Odette dreams of becoming an architect who connects people through space and creates sustainable buildings for low-income communities.
Want a behind-the-scenes look at how Austin ISD works? Apply now for the UpClose Leadership Program, a yearlong opportunity to learn about the district’s infrastructure, programs, and services. Deadline to apply: July 24. Space is limited!
Asian American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month - May 1-31
Jewish American Heritage Month - May 1-31
Austin Home Buyer Fair - May 31
ECHS and P-TECH Summer Bridge Programs - June 2-26
Central Office Staff Appreciation Week - June 2-6
Alvan the Little Book Bus at Uphaus Early Childhood Center - June 4
Inspire the Future Grant Program Info Session #4 - June 5
Austin ISD School Consolidation Process Virtual Info Session - June 5
Good Stewardship: Repurposing Sims - June 5
District Closed - June 6
Inaugural Mueller Juneteenth Celebration - June 7
Baseball at The Long Time: Support the Austin Ed Fund - June 7
For graduation dates, please visit the Graduation 2025 page.
For more calendar events visit Austin ISD Calendar of Events.Alvan the Little Book Bus at Uphaus Early Childhood Center
Save the Date! Join us for Tools for Success – LIVE at the Austin Central Library on Saturday, Aug. 2 from 9 a.m.–12 p.m. This Summer Saturday Session will feature interactive displays and conversations with district leaders about how Austin ISD is approaching school consolidations. All are welcome!
2022 Bond Update: Breaking ground on the future of Austin ISD (en español) - Austin ISD
Girls' flag football redefines Friday night lights in Austin - KUT
Martin Middle School breaks ground on $61.4M modernization project - CBS Austin
Graduation celebrations continue next week! 🎓
For parking info, shuttle times, livestream links, and more, head to our Graduation website:
www.austinisd.org/graduation
Wishing all our families a safe, joyful, and restful summer!
Have a story idea?
Got a great story about an Austin ISD student, staff, parent, or community member? Share it with us! It could be featured on our website, in our newsletters, on social media, or even on the news!
For questions or comments please email me at nayeli.santoyoflores@austinisd.org
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