Happy 11th Week of School! This is a short week for Austin ISD, as we are observing a student and staff holiday this Friday in celebration of Diwali. Diwali is known as the Festival of Lights, a Hindu holiday widely celebrated in India, in South Asia and across the Hindu Diaspora. Festivities include the illumination of lights, candles, firecrackers and diya (clay lamps) to symbolize the victory of good over evil, inner light over spiritual darkness and knowledge over ignorance.  

This past week, I had the pleasure of meeting two dedicated library staff at Eastside Early College High School. Both Carmen Williams, the Librarian, and Phyllis Conrad, the Library Assistant, are decades-long Austin ISD employees who had previously retired from the district. But they answered the call to come out of retirement because they missed the students and the work. I am so thankful for the wealth of experience they bring to their important roles and the loving support they provide to our Eastside students.  

Monday, October 28 

I’ll be seeing many of you this morning at the annual Austin Ed Fund Inspire the Future Luncheon. The emcees for the event are Ailia Zhao from LASA High School and Joaquin Sanchez from Akins Early College High School, both of whom participated in the inaugural Austin ISD Summer Internship Program. I know they will crush it! After the luncheon, I’ll be attending a Travis Central Appraisal District Board Work Session. 

Tuesday, October 29 

This morning, I’ll meet with my senior staff to progress district priorities, including budget planning and enrollment. In the afternoon, I have a quality assurance meeting with the Special Education and IT teams ahead of our November 1st submission for the TEA Agreed order. This will be followed by a one-on-one meeting with Board President Singh, which will segue into a meeting with the Lone Star Governance coach, Ashely Paz. Afterwards, I’ll meet with the Enroll Austin team to receive final updates as they gear up for Priority Registration starting November 6. I will then have a one-on-one meeting with Dr. Stephanie Hawley, Chief of Organizational Transformation. In the evening, I’ll be joining the Ad Hoc Joint Community Budget Committee meeting.  

Wednesday, October 30 

I’ll start today with a one-on-one meeting with Interim CFO, Katrina Montgomery. This will be followed by a meeting with her and other leaders in Operations to review the cost estimate for the 2022 Bond. Afterwards, I’ll have a one-on-one meeting with Trustee Ofelia Zapata. Next on the schedule is the bi-weekly Board Governance meeting with board officers, followed by a one-on-one meeting with Board Secretary Lynn Boswell.  Later in the afternoon, I have a meeting with Trustee Boswell and Trustee Whitley-Chu to discuss expanding Austin ISD’s tuition-based Pre-K program. We are gathering feedback in the beginning stages of expanding Austin ISD’s tuition-based Pre-K program. Afterwards, I will be conducting a principal interview. Then, after I meet with our Communications team to do some social media recording, I’m heading out to the Moody Theater to attend the Food For Thought event hosted by Communities In Schools of Central Texas.  

Thursday, October 31 

Happy Halloween! Today, I’ll be joining a few other superintendents for a Texas Monthly roundtable interview. We’ll be discussing pressing issues in Texas public education, particularly in light of the upcoming legislative session. Later on in the morning, I will have a one-on-one meeting with Michelle Wallis, Executive Director of Innovation and Development. Then I’ll be holding an interview for a principal position. The rest of the afternoon will be work time for me.  

Friday, November 1 

Happy Diwali! I hope all of our students and staff have a wonderful (candy-filled) day off. I will be participating in Vanir’s 2024 PMCM Conference today.  

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