Hi Friends,
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! 🎉
Now, let’s get started…
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 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 approved the sale of the former home of the 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
This Spring, Austin ISD celebrated the first completed project as part of the 2022 Bond!
Odom Elementary School hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for their brand-new learning spaces with remarks from district leadership and student performances.
We also broke ground on seven modernization projects — LBJ ECHS, Langford ES, Oak Springs ES, McCallum HS, Anderson HS, Northeast ECHS & International HS and Martin MS.
Zoom In: Construction is underway on 10 modernization projects across the district.
Check out the construction footage from the Travis ECHS, Wooten ES and Harris ES projects.
More information: 36 schools are receiving secure entry vestibules over the summer to improve student and staff safety on campus.
After this summer, we will have completed all of the secure entry vestibule projects included in the 2022 Bond!
What’s Next: The three remaining open-concept renovation projects at Cook ES, Oak Hill ES and Williams ES will be completed this summer ahead of the start of the 2025-26 school year.
Big things are coming later this year, with the full modernizations at Allison ES, Harris ES and Wooten ES estimated to open in January.
Go Deeper: To learn more about the projects planned at a specific campus, check out the 2022 Bond Book or find your school on the Bond projects list.
You can also submit questions and feedback through the questions & comments form at AISDFuture.com.
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.
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.
It’s the last week before we fully move away from Microsoft Teams and transition to Google Workspace.
This week’s Google Tip: Setting Your Profile Picture.
Personalize your Google account by selecting your profile picture to add a customized photo!
For more helpful tips and resources, please explore Google Central, also located in the Staff Portal. For more of the specifics on what is being migrated, please refer to this Google Migration Details Quick Reference Card.
What’s next: Microsoft Teams and Outlook will be available until 6 p.m. June 9 at which point we transition to Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Chat.
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!
-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.