This week, we take time to celebrate and recognize the incredible work of our Austin ISD Transportation team during Transportation Employees Appreciation Week. Rain or shine, early mornings and late afternoons, our bus drivers, monitors, mechanics, dispatchers, and support staff work tirelessly to make sure our students arrive at school safe, ready to learn, and return home securely at the end of the day. They are often the very first smiling face our students see in the morning and the last one to bid them farewell in the afternoon. Please join me in taking a moment to extend a warm thank you to our transportation team members across the district for everything they do to keep Austin ISD moving forward!

Monday, Oct. 19, 2026

Early voting kicks off today, so I’m making sure to head to the polls and cast my ballot first thing. After voting, I’ll connect with our executive leadership team to begin the week. From there, I'll dive into reviewing our upcoming budget presentation scheduled for Oct. 29. Later in the afternoon, I’m sitting down with our Board officers for a governance planning session to shape future board meeting agendas, keeping our central focus right where it belongs—on student achievement. To wrap up the day, I’ll be putting the final touches on preparations for tomorrow's big event.

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026

The big day is finally here, our Inspire the Future Luncheon. I’ll start the morning running through last-minute details to ensure everything goes smoothly. Once the event wraps up, I’ll spend the rest of the afternoon connecting with key team members to align our priorities for the rest of the week, specifically meeting to review Texas Comptroller's audit deliverables and get updates on the progression of required data sets.

Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026           

I’ll be attending the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) Conference. This national organization brings together 81 of the nation's largest urban school systems to collaborate, share best practices, and work toward improving educational outcomes for urban youth. It’s always an invaluable opportunity to learn alongside fellow urban superintendents as we push to help our students reach their highest potential.

Thursday, October 22, 2026

In addition to attending the CGCS Conference, I will make time to join our Weekly Principal Update, followed by a meeting with Katrina Montgomery, Chief Financial Officer, and Kenneth Walker, Senior Chief of Business & Operations/General Counsel, to continue prepping for the Texas Comptroller's audit. In the afternoon, I will participate in the CGCS Fall 2026 Executive Committee Meeting. Later, I will spend time reviewing beginning-of-year data, analyzing inputs and outputs that drive instruction to continue tracking and monitoring our start-of-year progress to date. 

Friday, October 23, 2026

I will start the day by attending a superintendents-only meeting. Throughout the remainder of the day, as we wrap up the conference, I will join a meeting with Ms. Montgomery and Mr. Walker to continue our critical preparation work around the Texas Comptroller's audit. 

Saturday, October 24, 2026

To close out the trip, I will attend the CGCS Board of Directors Meeting this morning before heading back to Austin. 

Unity Day is on October 21, when people across the nation wear orange to show their support for bullying prevention and stand with students who have experienced bullying. Together, we can make kindness and unity stronger than bullying.

Trunk or Treat: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026 Mark your calendars! Join us at the Nelson Athletic Complex for our 7th Annual Trunk or Treat event. It’s a wonderful, free, and safe Halloween event where local kids and families can trick-or-treat together and connect directly with our Austin ISD police officers. Hope to see you there!

Recognize our amazing staff each month by submitting a RAVE!

Follow me on Instagram @matias_aisd. #StrongSchoolsStrongerAustin

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