Sunday, Sept. 15 kicks off our Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, which means it’s time for “Join the Fiesta” Talent Show with Austin ISD!
The 2024 Hispanic Heritage Talent Show call for entries is open until September 30.
You children can submit videos of dancing, music or singing, as well as photos of drawings or paintings that celebrate Hispanic culture for more than $4,000 in prizes!
The award ceremony will take place Saturday, Oct. 12.
Now, let's get started…
1 big thing: Audit shows Austin ISD invests more in students than peer districts
A new audit of Austin ISD finances shows the district spends more per student than the statewide average and our peer districts in Texas.
Why it matters: Austin ISD’s main job is to prepare every student with the knowledge and skills to thrive in college, career, and life. To do that, we’ve gone above the minimums required by state law in many areas and could possibly consider cuts to the budget for those services in the absence of new investments in the classroom:
School librarians
School nurses
Counselors
Support staff
Fine Arts and Career and Technical programs
By the numbers: The district spends $13,209 per student—more than $1,500 above the average spend of peer districts in Texas and $1,000 more than the statewide average.
Driving the news: The efficiency audit, created by Moak Casey, was presented to the Ad-Hoc Joint Community Budget Committee Sept. 10. The audit is a requirement for putting Prop A on the ballot.
Zoom Out: The district is exploring cost-saving measures as it works to reduce its budget deficit over the next three years.
Prop A will be on the ballot on Nov. 5, with early voting starting Oct. 21.
If approved, the proposition will provide an additional $41 million in funds for our schools, including $17.8 million for a teacher and staff compensation package to retain our educators.
Austin Ed Fund awards $450K in ‘Inspire the Future’ grants to Austin ISD teachers
Congratulations to the 66 recipients of the 2024 Inspire the Future Grants by the Austin Ed Fund!
Why it matters: These grants empower educators to bring innovative ideas to life, enhancing classroom literacy, improving educator experiences, and creating pathways for college and career opportunities.
Background: Since 2015, the Inspire the Future program has invested over $2.5 million into 500 teacher-driven projects.
Thanks to our community partners, these diverse projects are supported.
Austin ISD Bond creates safe, secure entrances to schools
Austin ISD built 28 new secure entry vestibules over the summer as part of the 2022 Bond
Why it matters: These secure entrances ensure all visitors are checked in and enter through the front office, increasing safety and security on campus.
How we got here: The $2.4 billion 2022 Bond from taxpayers funds innovative learning environments through 25 full or phased campus modernizations, four open-concept renovations and targeted projects at all other campuses.
Also happening: Construction started over the summer on open-concept renovations at Cook, Oak Hill and Williams elementary schools and full modernizations at Harris and Wooten elementary schools and Sadler Means Young Women’s Leadership Academy.
Four schools were relocated to temporary campuses for the construction of their modernized schools. Harris, Wooten and Langford elementary schools are temporarily at off-site locations and Sadler Means YWLA is located on-site in portables.
What’s next: Linder and Allison elementary schools will break ground on their new modernizations this month! Five schools are anticipated to break ground modernizations this fall, including the full modernization of Travis Early College High School.
We’re also looking forward to the grand opening of the first major project in the 2022 Bond — the open-concept renovation of Odom Elementary School in the spring!
There’s more: Through 2013 and 2017 Bond funds, over the summer HVAC units at 16 campuses were replaced and HVAC systems were upgraded at six campuses across the district. Perimeter fencing, window film and lock and key replacement projects are ongoing.
Go Deeper: To learn more about the projects planned at a specific campus, please refer to the 2022 Bond Book or visit bond.austinschools.org/bond-projects. For updates on the 2022 Bond, visitAISDFuture.com.
You can submit questions and feedback through the Questions & Comments form located on the homepage.
Austin ISD families and community members can now get free cable-style gun locks to ensure safe gun storage at home through a partnership with Project ChildSafe. Submit a request through the Austin ISD Police Department's website.
Looking to get out and enjoy the wonderful weather we’ve been having? The Pecan Street Festival is happening this weekend! There will be food and drink, musical performances, and even a petting zoo! I’m hoping to check it out for the first time. If you see me, say hi!
-JJ
For questions or comments you may email me at jorge.maldonado@austinisd.org
This document has been translated using an AI-powered machine translation tool through Thrillshare. As a result, it may contain inaccuracies, errors, or inconsistencies that do not reflect the original content accurately. Austin ISD strives for high-quality translations and has a dedicated translation team, but sometimes we might have to use AI tools for critical or time-sensitive communications.
