Hello Friends,

April has arrived! 🌸 We officially have eight weeks left of the 2024-25 school year. Time sure does fly by!

This week we kicked off the recognition of Arab American Heritage Month and Assistant Principal Appreciation and School Librarian Appreciation Week. Thank you for all the work you do for our students and the district.

The results are in…The Special Education survey showed positive feedback on our special education services. Check out the results.

Let’s get started….

Austin ISD must consider some difficult options for Dobie Middle School after an appeals court dismissed the lawsuit blocking TEA from releasing its 2023 “A-F” school accountability ratings. 

Why it matters: Texas has the ability to take serious actions against school districts that allow a school to fail for five years in a row, including but not limited to assigning a Board of Managers to oversee the entire district, replacing the current locally elected board. 

This is not a risk the district is willing to take, which means Austin ISD must consider closing the school or partnering with a charter school — much like what happened at Mendez Middle School — to avoid a potential takeover. 

For more information on how we got here, view our Dobie Middle School Turnaround FAQs.

What to know: While Austin ISD is beginning conversations about a districtwide school consolidation plan, the urgency around the situation at Dobie has put the school on a separate, expedited timeline. 

• We do not have a list of schools that could face closure.

• The district is developing a process for how school consolidation decisions will be made over the next several months, which we will present to the board this month. 

• That process will be thoughtfully developed with the community this spring. 

• The process will include developing guardrails for the process, establishing a tool to determine which schools could be considered for closure and analyzing options that will get students in the best possible learning environments. 

• We anticipate having a detailed plan outlining specific school consolidations by mid fall, 2025.

The bottom line: We understand that these conversations put a strain on our school communities. We are committed to a transparent, human-centered process and maintaining our focus on student achievement and wellbeing.

The Outlook Email, Calendar, and OneDrive migration is underway in preparation for the Gmail launch this summer. We’re here with everything you need to know as we gear up for the change.

Why it matters: Google Workspace allows us to streamline our collaboration, offer a safe environment in regard to data privacy and equip teachers with additional tools needed to enrich student learning. Additionally, this transition supports the district’s ongoing budgetary needs.

What will be migrated: Seven years of your emails will be moved from your Outlook inbox over to Gmail, including your folders, email signature, and attachments.

• Two years of Outlook calendar events will transition to Google Calendar.

• Folders and files will also be migrated from OneDrive to Google Drive.

As a result of the migration work, staff will see a Gmail icon in their Google Drive waffle menu. However, it will not be functional until launch.

When we transition: Microsoft Teams and Outlook will be available until 6 p.m. June 9. 

• We’re working to make the transition as smooth as possible and have a Google Workspace Transition Checklist available to assist you in the process.

Learn more about Gmail and Google Workspace, including training opportunities and other resources by visiting Google Central, a Google Workspace website for Austin ISD staff.

• For more of the specifics on what is being migrated, please refer to this Google Migration Details Quick Reference Card 

Join VELA - an organization that empowers parents of children with disabilities to become their child's greatest advocates through hands-on courses, support and community building - and other families, for this 3-part interactive virtual series to learn how to become your child's greatest advocate. Join to gain knowledge, strategies, and resources.

Arab American Heritage Month - April 1 to 30

Transition Planning: Elementary through High School - April 5

Travis Early College High School Rebel Fest - April 5

Assistant Principal Appreciation Week - April 4 to 11

School Librarian Appreciation Week - April 4 to 11

Autism Learning 3-Part Series with VELA (English Session) - April 7

Autism Learning 3-Part Series with VELA (Spanish Session) - April 9

Board Information Session - April 10

Austin ISD Budget Talk - April 12

For more calendar events visit Austin ISD Calendar of Events.

Austin ISD General Registration for PreK-12th grade for the 2025–26 school year is now open!

School consolidation comes to Austin ISD with funding down - Austin Chronicle

Happening Saturday is Rebel Fest at Travis Early College High School! Festivities start at 1 p.m. and include a Student BBQ Competition! 

Reminder: Traffic and road closures will be in place this weekend for the Cap 10K! If you’re running or walking in the race, good luck! We’ll be cheering you on! 

Have a great weekend!

-JJ

Have a story idea? Share it with us! https://www.austinisd.org/communications/request-services/story

For questions or comments you may email me at jorge.maldonado@austinisd.org

For languages other than English and Spanish, we use an AI-powered translation tool. As a result, there may be some contextual inaccuracies or other errors. We apologize for this. Please email translation@austinisd.org if you are in need of clarification. To change your preferred correspondence language, contact your school's front office. 

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