Welcome back to another week in Austin ISD. These next two weeks are four-day weeks for students and teachers, so hopefully our families can get some rest.
This week is Principal Appreciation Week! Our principals are incredible leaders who build community and support high expectations for our students and we wouldn’t be Austin ISD without their leadership. Please don’t forget to share your appreciation for all the work they do.
A lot has happened since we last checked in, so let’s get into it.
Thursday marked a big milestone for the Oak Hill Elementary School community as we celebrated the ribbon-cutting of its 2022 Bond project. As part of the project, old open-concept classrooms were transformed into safe, functional learning environments designed for the future.
Much of the week was spent connecting with our principals, local leaders and elected officials to discuss the draft consolidation and boundary change plan. Recognizing the magnitude and disruptiveness of this work, it was critical for me to meet with our principals who would be most affected and talk through how we move forward with care and collaboration. I am tremendously proud of their leadership and focus on supporting our students, staff and families through these transitions.
On Friday, we released the draft school consolidation and boundary change plan. Every family and staff member received a campus-specific letter that outlined the potential impacts for their community as well as a link to the comprehensive draft plan. This is a draft and will change. These ongoing conversations will help us land on a recommended proposal next month, one that best fulfills our vision: for every family to have access to an excellent neighborhood school — one that is vibrant, well-resourced, and able to meet the unique needs of every child.
Our meetings will start next week, so please mark your calendars and join us to provide your feedback.
You can also submit your feedback via our digital comment card.
Today we had our monthly meeting with the Austin Association of Public School Administrators. This is a key group of our Austin ISD leaders who give honest and direct feedback about what’s happening on our campuses. Today we discussed the draft school consolidation and boundary change plan, as well as how we can support our staff through this process and any changes for our community. Engagement during this time is incredibly important and I’m listening with an open mind for how we can adjust to improve the draft plan.
Thursday, we’ll have our Board Information Session where we’ll present and discuss the draft school consolidation and boundary change plan.
Friday, we’ll meet with the City of Austin to discuss how we can improve our inter-agency communication in critical incidents, such as the Sept. 10 incident in the Zilker area that prompted a lockdown at Barton Hills Elementary School. We’re committed to improving our responsiveness and these partnerships and conversations are the next step forward to get there.
Check out our Austin ISD calendar for more details on what’s happening in the district. And if there’s anything that needs to be on my radar, let me know!
Recognize our amazing staff each month by submitting a RAVE!
Follow me on Instagram @matias_aisd. #StrongSchoolsStrongerAustin
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